


Imprinted Evidence

by chugokugogirl



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: AU, Abuse, Angst, Drama, M/M, OC, ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-30 00:31:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 22
Words: 123,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1011899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chugokugogirl/pseuds/chugokugogirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having given birth to a bastard child, the mother had no choice but to abandon the newborn, but not before branding the baby with the mark of a circle, with hopes of reuniting once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Scar Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been in this dark mood lately and this idea just wouldn't leave my head. The basis of this story is from meihualou all credit due to the creator(s)
> 
> Warnings: unedited, abuse, AU, OC, OOC
> 
> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belongs to Yamane Ayano

_First verse: The green bird flies over mountains and streams, calms madness._

_Second verse: The tune of evening penetrates through mist, calms disarray._

_Third verse: The sound from the jade flute carries the soul, calms sadness._

_Fourth verse: Petals blown away by the wind, calms turmoil_

_Final verse: The fertility of human hearts, rages emotions._

_Clouds emerge from the waters, hiding all secrets._

_Look at the many stories in this world._

_The most enchanting evidence of existence._

  
**Prologue - Scar Evidence**  


Second wife, former mistress; imprisoned in the comfort of her own home, alone with only one window beside an ancient plum tree.

Taken away from her homeland, her father gave her up as a gift to bring prosperity for his business. A dance and a song, a poem and a bow, and the receiver immediately became intrigued with her, even though he already possesses a wife and a son.

She saw the look of anger, frustration, and jealousy in the eyes of the first wife, but her new husband didn’t see it.

Soon, the first wife died while she herself remained childless. He would vist her bed night after night, but her empty womb remains to be filled; losing faith in her, her husband cast her away in favor for another woman, who gave him a second son; another possible male heir.

Her loneliness did not go unnoticed. Her cold husband’s most trusted friend stretched out his hands and led her out once again onto the shaded grass formed by the mythical plum tree, and soon, she conceived with a child that did not belong to her husband. Her husband can have as many partners as he desires, but she could not. But since her husband no longer sees her, she was able to carry the child in her stomach in secret. After nine months in the darkness, she gave birth to the child. It was finally a son; a son she could not keep. So with a scalding iron, she branded the mark of a circle – for unity – onto his new, delicate skin before sending him away, hoping their paths would cross again.

~~~~~

“Where is she?” a deep baritone voice boomed out and shook the window panes around the room as the men assembled. This man wields eyes that perhaps once belonged to an ancient beast. The intimidating and powerful gazes could plunge anyone down onto their knees within seconds. His bludgeoning words crushed all and helped none. The overwhelming pressure and the heavy core of gravity within this one man had made him into a powerful young leader whom everyone would submit to.

“Please forgive me master we were too late. It seems the traitor swore everyone involved into secrecy…however, we did manage to catch him sir, he is being held in the basement” a subordinate reported with his waist bent at an exact ninety degree angle, and his eyes – deep brown eyes – were glued to the wide Persian rug stretched throughout the chamber.

“Where did the bitch go?” the master asked, not even paying attention to the minor details.

“Sir…” the subordinate began but his confidence wavered, for this truth may be the last he will ever tell. “According to a woman who claims to be a midwife, she said the lady had just given birth only hours ago. It seems the lady predicted our arrival and ran away with the newborn as soon as the birthing ended.”

The young master strolled towards the windows – draped with deep, dark crimson velvet – and sighed. He perhaps knew all this time. His woman escaped him for an insignificant other. And this insignificant other was none other than the man he trusted his back with.

Breaking the silence in the room and his train of thoughts, two people came rushing into the dimly lit chamber. With unbuttoned shits and untied shoes, the two new arrivals immediately ran right up to the man they claimed as their god and fell onto their knees, with their foreheads pressed deep into the delicately patterned rug meant for the worshipping of gods. But the two didn’t seem like they were praying to their god. The heavy gasping of breath and the untidy appearance made them seem like they are currently trying to plead for mercy.

The young master slowly turned around to look upon his two newest guests. On the floor – completely submitted to him – was another man about the same age as he was and beside him was a classy woman in her late fifties downing a beautiful European black dress, with her hair simply – but elegantly – held together by an oriental hairpin, shaped in the form of a flower.

“Master, I have realize Fusao’s act was clearly an act of treason, but seeing that you, I and Fusao have been friends ever since childhood, please spare my brother his life” the man on the floor begged as he grind his forehead further into the historic rug.

“Sir” the woman’s desperate pleads tried reaching out to the man chiseled out of stone. “Please look at all the good Fusao has done for you in all these years and pardon this one mistake. My husband passed early and only left me with these two boys. They are all that I have left. Even though what Fusao did was absolutely unforgivable, he was still someone who always stood beside you –” Her hysterical voice was high enough to reach the gods siting in heaven, but the trembling mother’s voice died on her tongue when the cold man in front of her growled.

“Humph, he always stood beside me, he stood so close to me…so close to my open back for him to stab it” the young master venomously spat out. “To think the two of you actually had the nerves to come here and plead for mercy. Fusao was close to me like a brother, for him to defy me to this extant, to betray me to this extant…when did Fusao grow to become so audacious?” he laughed to himself, however, the dryness in his voice caused the thunders of heaven to clash with the earth; making its way down from above to warn humans of their sins.

“Humph, even if I killed him a thousand times, this anger and this hatred I feel inside of me will not soothe away” he growled.

“Please forgive me sir for not being able to properly raise my child, but he is a young man, and so are you sir. And you should know better than anyone the raging desire a man gets when they see someone they want. This word “emotion” is something nobody can control. Sir, you are still young yourself, is it not true that you too are unable to restrain your emotions?” the women cried out.

“How dare you…” the young master guttural voice grunted out. He began to open his mouth to spew his bashing words at the mother and son in front of him but decided to swallow them and sighed instead. “Seeing how your family has been close to mine for generations, I will not convict you two of the same crime. I will allow you two to see him one last time, but if you want me to spare him? Stop praying.”

“What if we get him to reveal the location of the lady and her newborn?” the mother tried once again.

“Humph, It seems I know about your son more than you madam. Even if I were to tear of every limb on his body, even if the blade was pressed to his throat, he would not reveal their location. That stubbornness, that pure flame, kindled by that invisible sun living inside of him, will really be missed…and my wife…”he chuckled.

Suddenly, the doors flew open once again and another man came charging in. “Sir! The lady returned!”

The master’s expression darkened, but he still wore a grin on his face. “My dear, dear wife…will also be missed…”

~~~~~

A young woman sat by the window, looking at the kids running around in the garden. Her dark chocolate brown hair draped all the way down to the floor, as she entwined her delicate fingers in the stem of a hanakisoi from the gardens. Her kimono – decorated with butterflies and bloody spider lilies – adorns her beautiful porcelain body while her legs slipped out from underneath the expensive fabric; just enough to induce lust in every man sinned with sex.

Taking a look up at the sky, she notices the sun beginning to fall into the mountains. The woman opened the windows in her room and a rush of summer’s warm breeze and soft petals caressed her round Asian face. Opening her phoenix shaped eyes once more, she leaned forward and called out “Akihito, Akihito…”

A young boy, no more than perhaps five or six years old looked up at his mother with light auburn eyes. The child had dark chocolate brown hair just like his mother, creamy white skin just like his mother, and he will be just as seductive as his mother in a few years. But he did not look like his mother.

“I want to play for just a few more minutes! Ok?” Akihito shouted back.

“Akihito, if you don’t come up now, I’m going to eat all of your dinner!” the young woman threatened playfully.

The small boy’s eyes widened at those words. He immediately dropped the rubber ball in his hands and ran inside. Within seconds, the young woman could hear her little monster’s small feet ferociously running towards their shared room.

“Mama! You’re mean!” Akihito cried out as he bent over to try and catch his breath.

“You’ve been playing all day you little rascal. It’s almost time for you to go to bed.” The mother responded as she ruffled through her cute son’s hair. “You’re covered in dirt, go take a bath first.”

Akihito blew a raspberry at his mother and ran towards the bath. The young woman snickered at her son’s puerile behavior as she sat down in front of her make-up table. Akihito slowly poked his head out from the bathroom doorway just enough so that he could see his mother prepare. “Mama? Are you going again tonight?” he asked.

The women turned around to face the young face filled with worry and uncertainty. “I have to Akihito; just go to sleep without me.”  
“Why don’t you just tell them no?” the child asked.

The women turned her attention back to her appearance in the mirror. “I tried, but if we want to survive, I have to do this…just wait a little longer Akihito, soon I will get both of us out of here and we’ll start our lives anew.”

The young child hesitated a little. He wanted to say more, but knew he didn’t have the power to help. Without saying another word, the little pup nodded and slipped back into the bathroom. Akihito knew what his mother did was not pleasant, but he was still too young to be heard; however, he was not too young to understand. Akihito understood that whatever his mother did for the two of them always ends up with her covered in wounds. Be it cuts or bruises, when she comes back in the morning, the first aid kit will always be emptied.

The client, as the owner of the brothel introduced, was of up most importance and she should prepare herself accordingly. Akihito was still a young child but was a useful errand boy; however, once he grows up, he too, will probably be put out front too for some sick old bastards. Children grow up so quickly, which is exactly why she needed to get them out of this hell hole as soon as possible. She was already an adult so she understands how this world rotates, but her Akihito is still a stupid, clueless, sweet little boy, and this sweetness was something she wanted to preserve in him.

Brushing the blush over her cheeks, and matching the color of her lipstick to the color of her pink nipples, the woman did one final check on her hair before she stood up and left the room. This client was new, so she cannot use any gift accessories she has received from her regulars to help her improve her image. For the owner to use her “don’t mess this up slut or I’ll sell you off” voice, the women knew she couldn’t afford to misbehave this time. She and Akihito has been through a lot to obtain this current peace they have, and just a little more, the two of them would be free.

The brothel’s corridors smelled of urine. The wooden boards creaked with each step, but the gaps in the flooring made a nice nest for cockroaches, who probably started their life there even before this place became a brothel. This wasn’t the most glamorous whore house in Japan, which is why it was so easy to leave. However, life as a prostituted was still better compared to her previous life. The man she was with could not fit her whole in the palms of his hands, but he refused to scatter her, so she turned herself into sand and slipped away from his grasps – but life really is the greatest hoax ever.

_There really was no greater hoax._

The rusted hinges forced its ways apart and revealed a much more tasteful performance hall. Gently closing the decaying door, the woman smoothly walked onto the stage prepared for her. This was how all the girls worked. A performance on stage, and if the client clapped, they would not get beaten…but fucked and paid. This whore house was a former gidayu theatre and keeping in touch with the historical traditions, the girls’ performances must be able to touch the souls of the men who came to see them.

With the instrument –washed and tuned – placed off to the side, just waiting for her experienced hands to pluck away at the strings, the woman noticed the chilling silence in the audience. Lifting her head up, she notices not a single soul possessed the chairs. But she still felt eyes on her, evaluating her.

Picking up the instrument, she sat down on the mat placed for her on the stage and began to pluck the stings to make harmonious music. Melodies of undying love on Earth quickly covered every inch of the empty audience. A song of a beautiful, but non-existent love was her favourite. A love that can only be part if the earth has stopped rotating, if the season’s has stopped changing, if time no long exists, was for the dreamers who lived on Earth; for those who believed that a human’s heart was warm, a human’s tears are for crying; and for those who believed plum blossoms are truly intoxicating.

As the final pitch stretched high into the ceiling, the woman fluttered her eyes as she felt her emotions starting to well up in her eyes.

_Love is her greatest hoax._

Putting down the wooden instrument, the woman gathered her kimono and stood up. She faced the empty seats, waiting for her client’s approval or disapproval, but there wasn’t even a pint of sound. She felt her nerves jingle as the silence continued. The performance was perfect. The words were beautiful, every pitch was hit right on target, and that melody was her best. She kept her head low, but held it high enough for her to glance around the room. There were definitely eyes, she could feel the strong gazes piercing at her, but there was no human presence.

The young woman sighed and began backing away from the stage until she heard the light flick of a lighter being lit. Next, she heard footsteps. The click clacking sound of the shoes echoed louder than her voice as they came closer and closer. The performance hall was quite dark, but soon, a gray smoke emerged from the darkness. The smoke swayed from side to side as a gentle gust of wind made its way inside the brothel. As another few click clacks passed by, the young woman began to see the fiery orange and yellow end of the cigarette, then the whites of the cancer stick and finally, the owner consuming those toxic chemicals.

_Life – the greatest hoax…_

That pair of fierce, burning, amber eyes diminished the light of the flames. The large body scattered ever dead soul in the house, and the heavy gravity from this man’s body crushed the ceiling down right over their heads. One look at his face was all it took to dissolve all of her hopes and ambitions, just like water in a hot wok. She narrowed her eyes and frowned at the elder man in front of her. She could feel her feet growing cold, and her lips quiver, but she held her gaze, high and proud as she looked at the creature in front of her, who looked dominant and godly. And with the entrance of the master, the once hollow chamber soon began to fill with men in every corner, rendering escape impossible.

The old man glanced up and down the young woman and licked his lips moist. “When I told your so-called parents to sell their child to pay off their debt with me, I meant for them to sell _you_ to me…who knew that they actually gave you up to this shit house of a brothel” the beast spoke as he threw a wad of spit towards a spider’s nest.

“Asami Raiju you old bastard…what are you doing here?” the woman’s acrimonious tone forced its way out of her throat.

Asami Raiju – Raiju, the beast send down by a bolt of lightly by the god of thunder, Raijin himself – possessed an existence large…large and deadly, to the point that you cannot even fit him completely in your frames. His presence was thunderous, his pressure was heavy enough to stop breaths, and his eyes…belonged to the thunder beast that descended down onto Earth eons ago.

The monstrous beast took a long drag of the cigarette clipped between his fingers and let out a breath of smoke. “I have come to collect you.”

“What am I? Something you have conquered? Something you can do whatever to, whenever you please?” she asked.

“Yes, and I want that understood” Asami Raiju replied.

“You can dream all you want, but my body will never be your temple, I would rather bite off my tongue” the woman fought back.

Ahhh…there it is, that power and vigour. Takaba Yayoi, a woman like no others, a rare creature unlike any others. The thunder beast chuckled at the bravado the young woman was putting up. This world is filled with so many differences, and so much specificity. However, nobody fuelled his inner sun like this proud bitch whom has the ability to hold her gaze against his.

Asami Raiju smirked. He still has the advantage, and he always will. “You have a kid following you around now. I’m guessing his father is one of your clients? Wouldn’t he miss you?”

“If I am taken away, what are the chances I’ll see him again?” Yayoi argued.

_Amusing…there really isn’t a creature more amusing than she._

“The kid is still a brat, but he has your blood in him doesn't he? I'm sure in a few years he’ll be just as sensual as you are…”

“Then with my own hands, I will end him, along with myself…” Yayoi immediately interjected with hateful emotions.

Asami Raiju chuckled at the determination and turned towards a young man standing beside him who seemed several years younger than Yayoi. “Ryuichi, you can learn from this woman…but you also must learn that we cannot allow _anything…_ ” The thunder beast emphasized as he turned his gaze back to Yayoi, “… _anyone_ to defy us like she is right now.” The young man named Ryuichi nodded and continued to keep his eyes on the jewel in front of his eyes. He can understand why his father would want a woman like her, and he can’t deny the attraction he felt when he first laid eyes on her also. She is lovely. She could have been Helen of troy, or perhaps Aphrodite, or even Cleopatra.

His father has lovers, mistresses and wives. As soon as the man found a new, young bird, he’ll toss out the old and cage the new. That’s just how he is, Raiju sees one, loves one, but this was also a tactic to keep power, and Asami Ryuichi does not feel a pint of pity towards any of them; including the one in front of him right now.

“Bind her and make sure she doesn’t “bite her tongue” and bring her to the car. Drag her by the hair if you have to.” The thunder beast ordered.

As soon as the order came out, large men around the room immediately encircled the small body standing on the stage and restrained her, gagging her mouth and binding her hands to prevent any unnecessary actions.

Yayoi screamed into the dry cloth being forced into her mouth, but no one came to her rescue. Her muffled screams simply bounced off of the yellowing walls and right back into her ears. She was one of the brothel’s best, the only reason the owner was not here to stop this madness was because Asami Raiju has most likely paid for her.

Tears soiled her pretty face as she struggled desperately out of her bonds. She clawed at the men around her and managed to tear open a few raw fleshes, but it wasn’t enough. She fought with all the strength she has stored up; she threw her arms and hands wildly in the air, letting the pieces of skin and blood fly across the room. She tried to reach for a gun, but these men were fast and well prepared.

“Beat her” came the sudden harsh order and soon, loud smacks echoed throughout the empty room as large, iron-like hands rained down on her. She bit hard into her gag, hard enough to make her gums cry blood, but the monster in front of her just looked down at her, taking endless drags of that god dammed cigarette.

The man raised a hand in the air and all things living creased to move. “Are you ready to behave yet?” he asked.

Yayoi turned her face upwards to look at the storm above her head and glared. Asami Raiju narrowed his eyes in displeasure and waved his hand around to give the signal to continue. The screams of a sweet creature was the best music to his ears. That useless poem or song about perfect love from before was his poison. He had to admit though, the performance was spectacular, but the meaning behind it was disgusting.

Blood dyed the whites of her eyes pink and the white cloth in her mouth began to color too. Even as her nails parted from her flesh, Yayoi continued to endure the pain. If this abuse continues for a few more seconds, she would die, and nothing would please her more.

“Father, she is rather fragile looking; physically. If you continue, it’ll be a corpse you’ll be dragging home” Asami Ryuichi stepped in.

The thunder beast gave a quick nod of approval. His son was right, his son was always logical and it pleased him to know that he had brought up someone suitable to succeed him one day. Once Takaba Yayoi was in his hands, he can take his time to break her defiance towards him slowly and pleasurably.

“We’re leaving, get her in the car, and use whatever it takes.”

Yayoi kicked and screamed her voice hoarse as she was dragged by the hair towards the door leading to her prison. The men around her didn’t have an ounce of mercy or pity in their blood; they would kick her and hit her to still her actions, but Yayoi continued to fight, harder and harder as she closed the distance between her and the black cars waiting outside.

Three large men tried to force her into the car but none succeed. Yayoi tried lunging out, but was repeated stuffed back inside the smoked filled car. Suddenly, a hand out of nowhere pushed her inside and the doors slammed shut.

Asami Ryuichi looked thought the car window at the young woman with ice cold eyes. “Just give up and obey. Life will be easier on you.”

“Ryuichi, did you leave some money for that brat to survive on his own?” Asami Raiju asked.

“Yes I did - You don’t want to take the kid with us?” Asami Ryuichi asked.

“I have no use for a brat who isn’t even of age.”

A wave of the hand and each and every man got into their cars and followed behind their master.

~~~~~

Akihito jumped out of the bathroom and helped himself to the food placed on the table. His mother managed to get something good today – sushi with fatty tuna. Looking around, he noticed his mother was nowhere in sight, which meant she was humoring a stranger for the night and probably won’t be back until morning. That’s how he was born his mother had told him before. She wasn’t careful and she got pregnant.  
There were only four sushis on the plate and Akihito quickly gobbled up two, leaving two for his precious mother later. It has always been just the two of them; His mother was his world.

A knock suddenly penetrated the room and Akihito got up to answer the door. The moment the door opened up a bit, the person on the other side pushed her way inside. The middle aged woman standing in front of him is the owner of this place, he knew that. But the old witch never came when his mother wasn’t around which made Akihito curious.

The woman, without saying even a single word or greeting, pulled out a small brown package from her kimono sleeves and handed it to him. The brown package was thick, and heavy. There was neither a sender nor postage on the front. But living in a brothel – his lineage a mystery – he shouldn’t be able to get mail.

“That’s for you kid. Your mother has been bought and her new owner was kind enough to provide you with that huge amount.”

The words first hit Akihito like weak electric bolts. “What…” he muttered, and then, he felt a pint of fear began to brew in the core of his stomach as the words began to sink into his head. The package slid out of Akihito’s small hands and the paper bills fell down onto the floor in a clump. Akihito stared at the woman in disbelief, his body shaking with ice-cold fear, and his moist eyes trembling with disbelief.

“Wha…What do you mean?” He whispered, unable to believe what the woman was telling him.

The owner let out an exasperated sigh and continued to look at the boy. “She’s gone kid. You’re on your own.”

“ _Who!_ ” Akihito shouted out desperately as tears started streaming down his young face.

“I can’t tell you, and even if I did, you can’t do anything about it…nobody can.” The owner said softly as she watched the young child fall to his knees.

Akihito’s legs turned to jelly as he crawled over to the owner. He could feel his whole body going numb. “No! No! Tell me!” Akihito cried out as he hysterically clung onto the owner’s kimono.

“I already told you I can’t…” the woman said again as she tried to dislodge the small boy off of her.

“ _No! You have to tell me! Please tell me who they are, I have to get my mama back!_ ” Akihito shouted as his desperate pleas became hysterical sobs.

The owner pushed the shaking boy back and pulled away; distancing herself from the kid whose face was dripping with mucus. “I can’t boy, I value my life too much” she said nonchalantly as she left, slamming the door behind her.

Akihito sat on the floor alone, staring into white as he tried to process what has happened, what just happened, and what will happen over and over again in his head.

_I want to be the one to watch every sunrise with you until the sunset of your life._

_I am the only one who understands your tears of unspoken happiness and smile of silent pain_

_The beauty of imperfection is what keeps us attached, no excuses, no lies and no broken promises._

_

\- Unknown

_


	2. Stolen Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: au, oc, ooc, abuse, unedited
> 
> Note: the current and/or previous mayor(s) of Yokohama are nothing like I have described. I mean no disrespect to them

**Chapter one – Stolen Evidence**

Akihito stood in the far corner of the room, glaring and snarling at the man in front of him.

“Come on, give it up and come here already, the customers are waiting”

The young boy, who had just recently turned thirteen, was now finally allowed (forced) to serve at the front of the brothel. It wasn’t anything too much, just serving some drinks, sitting in the laps of those disgusting old men and whispering words of lust and envy into their sagging ears. It was utterly revolting, but if he didn’t make money, he would be beaten, or perhaps even killed for being non-profitable. Just having a cute face won’t keep him alive at this whore house. If he does not serve, he has no purpose, and the owner does not keep things with no purposes. This is his fight for survival, and Akihito never went down without a fight.

The man moved stealthily around him. Akihito was cornered, all that’s left was the leap to kill the prey. The man slowly brought up both of his hands, preparing to lung forward. “Come on…” he muttered silently to himself, and the moment the man lunged forward screaming, Akihito swiftly brought his knees up and nailed the man right in the balls. The man cried out in pain, cupping his privates and Akihito proceeded to push the bastard over, causing the giant to hit his head against the wall. The man cried out in pain but recovered fast and immediately went for Akihito’s thin neck.

“You brat!” the man screamed as he squeezed the air out of the boy.

Akihito clawed at the hand threatening to take his life away, leaving red, bloody marks down that dirty, hairy arm, but another kick to the jewels sent the man plummeting down to the ground and Akihito took this opportunity to run out the back.

The boy ran to his usual hiding spot to escape from his predators who will eventually be bringing him pain later. He jumped and grabbed onto the lowest branch of the plum tree located near the back of the whore house and started climbing to the top with great swiftness. _Like a jungle cat_ he thought to himself. Once at the top, Akihito looked down to see several men, holding long wooden sticks dyed with the color of dried up blood, shouting out orders to capture him. Those idiots, they never search for anything above their line of sight. Akihito snorted at the pigs below him and relaxed into the tree.

Despite being male (the only male), he was wildly popular within the brothel. Those sleazy old men liked them “wild and feisty...and young” Obedient girls were getting old it seems. He was thirteen this year, and those old bastards had already started touching him through his clothes. It won’t be long before he’ll have to start selling himself like the rest of the girls; or perhaps that greedy bitch of an owner will force him into prostitution earlier than expected. Akihito sighed at the thought. He didn’t want to do it. These customers were sadists, they loved to see the girls cry and beg and bleed. They loved to whip the girls and see them scream out in pain for their own sick enjoyment; however, it was still unsatisfying for them because girls were too fragile and didn’t last long enough for them to enjoy the cries; however, he was different, he was a lot sturdier. He was a man, a little one, but never less, a man, so he can last a lot longer. God, he can already see what’s going to happen to him. His first man will probably not even prepare him. These men found more enjoyment fucking a dry hole than a wet one. They would force girls to take pills that prevent lubrication so the friction during the fucking would be a lot more exciting. His first bastard will most likely just force that old, withered penis into him and pound into him until his ass is ripped apart…and then he’ll he thrown out because his ass can’t be used anymore. No, that wasn’t going to happen. He was thirteen now, he was more than capable of living by himself. Nowadays, there are tons of middle school kids that are his age living by alone, so why can’t he? And unlike those normal thirteen year olds out on the streets, he had a source of income, which reminds him, his partners are probably waiting for him outside.

The tree he was currently in right now wasn’t just a great hiding spot, but it was also a bridge that led him to the outside world. The tree was old so it stood over the walls of the whore house and the branches branched out, leading to a blind spot outside.

Akihito looked up at the sky and the clouds of Yokohama and let out a content sigh. The sky was unusually blue today and the clouds were so close to humanity he actually tried reaching out to grab some of that soft cotton. The sight of freedom can really take his breath away. Akihito loved to preserve moments, so with his own money (from his side business), he had started up quite the little camera collection. Pulling out a red, miniature camera out of his pants pocket, Akihito pointed it up at the sky and snapped a picture. _Someday, I’ll be flying in that sky, flying far away, as far as possible._ And without another thought, he swung from branch to branch and jumped down onto the hard pavement outside.

~~~~~~~~~~

The hushed whistling of the wind and the deadly screams of the waters accompanied the tall demon wearing a man’s skin as he stood beside several fresh, decomposing bodies. Grabbing for the lighter in his breast pocket, he lite the cigarette and inhaled deeply, taking in both the nicotine and the strong smell of blood into his system. There was a woman by his feet trembling uncontrollably, but the man just kept his gaze forward.

“R-Raiju…Raijui…please...please…” the woman staggered out, her voice shaking in fear.

“Please what? Spare you?” the man responded.

“Please…I love you…remember all the times we’ve sent together…? Let’s just forget this…and go back to before…” The woman crawled closer to Asami and clung onto his pants; looking up at him with her wet eyes as she pitifully begged him.

“Love? Since when did you get such a foolish idea into your head? Your use was only in bed, and now that use is gone. You think that we’ve slept together a few times, that we’ve developed some sort of ‘relationship’ that I would overlook anything you would do?” Asami responded with a voice colder than ice. “I do not tolerate any sort of scams, whether it is from lovers, or friends; which you are neither. If they dare test me, betray me, play me…I will show no mercy.”

The woman shuddered once more at the incredible chilliness she was getting from this one man, but before another word could exit her mouth, she broke down into screams and tears as two of Asami’s men came to drag her away. Just a simple chin wag was enough to tell the men what he wanted accomplished.

Asami looked out at the bay and took in the city view laid out in front of him. He could still hear the distant screams for life from his latest whore, but it didn’t faze him. The woman, as soon as he left her alone with his wallet, headed out to ginza and spent a total of four million yen on diamonds and gold and several bagful’s of designer dresses and shoes. When he questioned her, the gold digger had the nerve to say he should spoil his woman more often. He cannot allow anyone to think they can get away with anything if they are in his favor. But perhaps there was one; only one, a young woman from years back. She had truly intrigued him greatly. It wasn’t love he felt for her. The feelings that bloomed in his chest were closer to adoration. That woman had him completely under her spell and truthfully speaking, he didn’t mind it one bit. However, that woman also betrayed him, so he could not touch her. But there truly were no others like her, and looking out at the city, he wondered if there will ever be another. Tokyo Japan, and probably the whole world itself, are now nearly filled with money loving and power grabbing sluts; male or female. Those whores would kiss any ass to get fame and money. 

The familiar bang of a gun snapped Asami out of his thoughts and back to the warehouse where that woman was dragged off to only moments ago.

“Should we get the usual cleaners?” one of his men asked.

Asami gave a small nod and the man immediately pulled out his cell phone to make a call. Asami looked over at the warehouse to see a body bag being carried out. Satisfied that the task has been completed, Asami walked towards his waiting car, where the door is always held open for his convenience.

Sitting in the backseats, Asami crossed his legs as he rubbed at his temple, trying to soothe his headache. He needed to release his stress. His old whore just died, so a replacement is needed.

“Asami-sama, where would you like to go?” his driver asked.

“Take a detour.”

The glassed man nodded, knowing exactly what his boss meant. Not wasting another second, he stepped on the gas petal and they headed back to the city.

His boss needed a replacement.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, I got a target. She’s sitting on the bench on her phone wearing a navy suit and black pumps” a boy whispered into his toy walky-talky.  
“Copy that” another boy from across the road responded. “The target is in sight anddddd…Go Akihito!”

From behind a tree just in front of the bench in the park, Akihito came limping out towards the woman with fake tears running down his cheeks, but the target continued to stare into her cell phone – probably waiting for her lover’s message or something –completely unaware of him. Seeing that his act hasn’t been noticed yet, Akihito started sobbing and limping closer towards the woman until he was sitting beside her on the bench.

“Ngh…ngh…haa…” he wheezed out between sobs.

The woman finally looked at him. _Great._

“What’s wrong?” the woman asked gently as she reached out to try and soothe the crying teen.

“Hic…hic…my sis-sister…she’s got leukemia…and the doc said…she’s gonna die soon…”

“Oh no…I’m so sorry…”

“Our…our dad is the only one that…that passed the bone…bone marrow test…but he refuses to save her…” Akihito lied as he sobbed even louder.

“Oh gosh…” the woman responded in disbelief, and that was when Akihito gave the signal for one of his boys to approach.  


“Why won’t he help?” she asked.

“H-He’s always drinking…he keeps saying we are burdens and shouldn’t have been born…and…and he said Asia already has too many people…so no one would care if a few died…”

The woman was trapped. She has completely fallen for the scam when she pulled Akihito close to her bosom and hugged him tightly. Playing with a person’s compassion, especially a woman’s is where he and his boys make the big bucks.

Women were definitely their larger targets. They were easier to trick and they always carried more money in their wallets because shopping was a forte. If there was no cash, cracking into a credit card wasn’t hard either. This woman was their fourth target today and that certainly met their quota.

Seeing that his friend was closing in on the woman’s unattended purse, Akihito pulled the woman even closer to him and sobbed louder into her bosom. Only when his friend tucked the cards and cash into his pockets, did Akihito let go.

“Thank you ma’am…I feel much better now. I’m glad there are still people who care like you…” Akihito sniffed, still continuing his act.

“Oh honey, of course, but you be sure to report this to the police, it probably won’t be safe for you to stay with that father of yours any longer” the woman suggested as she patted his head.

“I will thanks” Akihito beamed out a smile as he wiped away the fake snot and tears ruining his face. The lady gave him a quick peck on the head and they bid their farewells.

Not wasting any more time, Akihito quickly rounded a corner and into a narrow alley to meet up with his partners in crime.  


“Did we make big today?” he asked

“¥83,540” a young teen with long black hair gloated as he held out the thick wad of cash in his hand and waved it in front of his two friends.”  


“And that’s not including all the credit cards we took” the other teen with bleached golden-brown hair cheered.

“So that’s ¥28,000 for each of us eh?” Akihito quickly divided the numbers. “That’s great. Kou, you can finally get that purse for your girlfriend and Takato can finally get that band’s new CD…”

“Yea man!” Kou screamed into the air as he raised his arm up high for a three-way high five.

The three of them met about a year ago and only started this scamming business for about half a year. Sometimes, tricks and acts don’t work, but with Akihito being the master of the “pickpocketing/grab and run” school of con arts, they have made an unusually high amount of money for three thirteen year olds that it made the bank teller look at them with suspicion each time they deposit the money into their joint savings account.

The three boys would always do small illegal activities together every day and surprisingly, not a single police officer has been on their case. Every time Kou and Takato headed out, their parents would always be kept in the dark. If the mothers knew that their sons was hanging out with a beginner’s male prostitute and doing illegal activities, they would probably hound Akihito to death. Beating him with their harsh words, saying he’s a bad influence and crap. Akihito was a good friend. He may have a sharp tongue, but he is sharp tongued with good intentions.

“Alright” Akihito cried out cheerfully as he pocketed his share. “I gotta go guys or the head bitch is really going to give it to me.”

“Just be careful Akihito” Takato said with a sense of concern in his voice. Akihito gave his friends a wave and ran off towards the red light district of the city.

The only time Akihito truly found any enjoyment in his currently, shitty life, was meeting up with his two friends twice a week. Both Kou and Takato went to school, which he didn’t have the privilege of going to. But after visiting Takato’s house once when his parents were out of town, one look at all the notes and textbooks had Akihito thanking the heavens he didn’t need to go to school. Sure there are a lot of sex slaves or underprivileged kids who believed that school was a place for special kids, and that their only dream in life was to get an education and learn, but Akihito wasn’t really one of them. Learning was definitely fun (only when he enjoyed the topic) but not when he is bombarded with a massive amount of work and memorization.

The pavement he was walking on started to glow orange from the setting sun as Akihito continued to consume himself with thoughts. He’s most likely in big trouble for kneeing that man in the balls (twice) today and running off when he was supposed to work. If he was late for the evening rush, his punishment would be even more severe. But being a con artist, Akihito knew how to read people, and the simplest person he has ever read in this world would be the owner of that brothel. That bitch loved money, loved it so much; perhaps more than her own life. If someone were to throw a bag of cash down a well, she would probably climb down to fetch it. In other words, Akihito needed to pick some pockets before he heads back. There was no way a messily ¥28,000 (not even) would appease the owner even a little bit, and besides, he wanted to keep that cash for himself…he earned it with all the mucus and tears he produced in order to put up a believable show.

He needed someone big. The sun was setting fast so he can’t go for multiple targets. People who own thick wallets love to show off their money by wearing tasteless brand name clothing’s or driving sleek black cars, and luckily for him, there are some of those in Yokohama… _Jack pot._ Akihito grinned when he saw a Mercedes-Benz just sitting at the curb of the road, a few paces away from him, like a sleeping cat. There was a stiff looking man in a suit standing beside the car, but across from it, on the other side of the street, Akihito could see a group of men in suits chatting. There was about six of them, but of course, only the boss stood out like a sore thumb. The leader wore a scar on the right side of his face, but that didn’t defy that handsome, manly face. His strong, muscular built and lean figure made Akihito jealous. He was too scrawny…but puberty hasn’t arrived yet. Who knows how handsome he’ll look when he starts maturing. 

Akihito casually walked towards the car, close enough to see the inside before he turned a corner into an alley to wait for the big honcho himself to finish up his meeting so he could head over. Should he causally bump into the man and silently take his wallet? Or should he shove, grab, and run? Akihito checked his wrist watch and noticed it was ten to nine. He was running out of time – grab and run it was.

It was summer time; the sun had just gone down. Those suited bodyguards seemed exhausted. They looked as if they have been roasting in the heat the whole day, which meant he could easily out run them all. Besides, he was a lot younger and a lot more energetic.

Akihito watched as the men from across the road finish up their conversation and bid their farewells. This was it. Akihito felt his heart pounding so loud, he was sure the other pedestrians could hear it as well. _Just a little closer…come on…_ Akihito chanted to himself as he watched the boss slowing arrive in front of his car, and just his luck, the man reached inside his suit pocket and pulled out his wallet. Akihito couldn’t see it too clearly, but he could definitely see some thickness in that ox leather. The man pulled out a white business card and handed it to another man, who thanked him with a bow.

_Now!_

Akihito dashed out from his hiding spot, jumped over the hood of the car, and snatched the wallet right out of the scar-faced man’s hands and dashed away like a mad man on fire. He was fast, but it seemed these bodyguards had sharp instants as they unconsciously reached out and yanked him back by the collar.

Akihito chocked, he clawed at the collar of his shirt strangling him as one of the gorilla’s dragged him back towards the car.  


“Fuck! Let me go!” he screamed and kicked. When he reached the car again, the goon pulled him up front so the boss could get a good look at him, and he, him. Now facing his victim eye to eye, Akihito noticed this man seemed…amused? The scar-faced man had his hands in his pants pocket, and he was smirking at him.

“’What’s your name son?” the man asked.

Akihito snorted and turned away. His captor still had a grip of him and the giant wasn’t gentle with his hold.

“The boss asked you a question!” his captor yelled as he shook him violently.

This is the first – _the first_ – time Akihito has been caught, and it seems he wasn’t caught by just anyone, but by a yakuza.  


“Takaba! Takaba Akihito!” he cried out with his eyes squeezed shut, afraid a hand was going to come down on him. But when the grip on him stilled, and the road became unusually quiet, Akihito cracked an eye open, only to see the leader staring down on him; studying him with an observant eyes.

“Takaba Akihito? That’s a nice name…you got quite a special face too” the leader commented.

Fuck. Is this guy one of _those_ yakuzas? Akihito cursed inwardly for his bad luck as he tightened the grip on the wallet in his hand.

“Boss, what should we do?” his captor asked, and that was when Akihito felt the hand on his shirt loosen. Not wasting an opportunity, Akihito quickly spun around and brought his knee right into his captor’s groin. The large giant grunted, but recovered quickly, however, not fast enough to recapture his prey. Akihito’s experience in pick pocking was legendary. And one of the first rules was, be fast on your feet, and that he was. Taking the split second of surprise he had induced in the men, Akihito got up on his feet and began running down the road like a little bunny rabbit being chased by a cheetah.

“Get him!” he heard the distant shouts, but he just kept running…regretting the fact that he had given this stranger his real name.

The men back down the streets were assembling and some even began to run after the kid, but a single command stopped them in their tracks.

“No, let him go.”

“But Takeo-sama…he took your –” one of his bodyguard interjected.

“It was only ¥60,000, let him have it.”

~~~~~~~~~~

If it wasn’t for the boy’s pretty face, she would have long gotten her boys to kill that Akihito, but pretty much all the customers’ request for the brat, and if she were to say the kid wasn’t available, her money bags would right up and leave. The punk had the nerve to run off in the middle of the day yesterday, and actually came back covered in mud and sweat well after nine. She should have broken his leg to prevent him from running anywhere ever again, but who knew the brat was actually out making money for her. ¥60,000 wasn’t much at all, but any money is good money.

Her preference is an obedient man, a man who would do anything she says and asks for, so she could never understand the customers who get a hard on when Takaba was snarling and biting at them. Everyone had their own taste…and so did this particular gentleman, who came knocking on her doors just now. 

“I want to buy the boy”

The owner stood at the end of the room, dumbfound at the quick demand. She didn’t even find a chance to properly welcome the fat man into her home and he was already quick to leave.

Across from her, sat the current mayor of Yokohama, Nakada Hayashi. The man smelled of Cuban cigars and powerful liquor. His balding gray, black hair was greasily styled back with a strong, scented hair gel. The man wore a striped suit and around him, wrapped a faux fox pelt. The fat man was short, even shorter than she was even without heels on. The large beer belly protruding out bounced up and down whenever he moved, and also his swollen lips, sucking on that large cigar and his hairy black mole located on his face were truly sickening, but the man had money. And that’s all that matters.

“I’m sorry Nakada-sama, but the boy is not for sale. He’s barely of age.”

The mayor gave a wave of the hand, and a man carrying a brief case immediately came over. Setting the brief case down, the man opened it to reveal money, organized into lines and rows. The owner’s eyes flashed open with greed, and her voice became nothing but meaningless babbles and stutters.

“Will ¥200,000,000 change your mind?” Nakada asked as he took in another long drag of his cigar.

“Ha…haha…yes! _Yes!_ Of course! But I must warn you, that boy won’t go without starting a war.” The woman shouted gleefully as she hugged the case close to her body as if it was her own flesh and blood.

“If he didn’t, I wouldn’t have paid so much for him…” Nakada murmured under his breath. “Now get him in here, I’m on a tight schedule” the fat man demanded as he sucked in another mouthful of tobacco. 

“Of course sir!” the hysterical woman complied. “Get Takaba Akihito into my office right away!” she shouted to her boys stationed just outside her office before giving the mayor a nervous laugh. “Sir, I must warn you though, he may be amusing at first…but after a week or so you might –”

“I don’t need that money, and I rarely return anything I buy, so you can keep it” the fat man growled out.

“T-Thank you sir!” the woman bowed while still clutching the money tight against her chest. “But do be careful with that kid, I want our clients to be satisfied with their purchases.”

“Feh…a few beatings should break that kid up good.”

Suddenly, the door busted open and standing there, revealed Takaba Akihito, looking displeased as ever, only now, he possessed a black eye.

“What happened to his face?” the fat man asked.

“Oh god….oh my god…” the owner stressed when she saw what happed to the boy’s main source of income. “What the hell did you idiots do! How many times do I have to tell you imbeciles to never hit the face! Look at what you’ve done!” the woman screamed at her employees before returning her attention to her client. “I am so sorry sir; the boy came home late so some punishment was in order. Please over look my employees’ stupidity. The bruise will go down in a few weeks I assure you”

“Fine fine, whatever, as long as he’s still entertaining, it’s all good” the fat man said. Hearing the woman’s high pitched voice really gave him a headache. But his new toy should be able to soothe out all of his problems tonight.

“Akihito…” the owner said as she walked towards the boy. “This man is Yokohama’s mayor, Nakada Hayashi-sama. I’m sure you’ve seen him before. This nice man wants to adopt you Akihito. You’re finally going to have a family now!” the owner coaxed in a childish tone, but Akihito wasn’t buying any of it, he wasn’t stupid.

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not going to go with him” Akihito spat out as he rudely pointed his finger at the mayor, but a quick smack to his butt got him to straighten up.

“Like I said sir, he has a very sharp tongue” the owner nervously giggled, but the mayor just brushed her off.

“Son, you’re coming home with me. I got dinner prepared and fresh clothes all laid out for you back at your new home in Karuizawa.”

“Karuizawa!” Akihito cried out. “Shouldn’t you have a house here in Yokohama? Why all the way there?”

“The house here is for work, the house there is for leisure. Now let’s go, you don’t need to take any of your shit with you, I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

“I-I…I don’t want to go…” Akihito said. “I have friends here…”

“You can make new friends” the fat man lied.

“But…”

“Akihito…Nakada-sama is a very busy man, be a good boy now…” the owner tried.

As the fat man waited for the boy to make up his mind, he did not take notice to the ash that had accumulated at the end of his cigar. Only when the ash finally fell from the tip of the cigar, and onto his perfect Italian leather shoes, did his patients snap. “Grab him.” And his men immediately threw the owner against the wall, knocking her unconscious, and grabbed Akihito by the arms and lifting him off of the ground.  


“Let’s go” Nakada said as he walked pass the boy who was screaming and kicking. Nakada threw his cigar onto the office floor and hurled a wad of gray spit onto the owner’s face before exiting out of the damp room. Poor people really were just stepping stones, he thought. This smelly little whore house didn’t even have air conditioning. The walls were yellow, the insects were huge, and the women were disgusting – they reeked of semen. But the boy he had just purchased was fresh. He smelled clean and he liked that. There was nothing better than fucking little boys, and he definitely got his hands on a prize. Money makes the world.

He watched as his two workers tried their best to stuff the thirteen year old into the backseat of the car, but those little fists didn’t give up. He could already imagine the boy struggling against leather bonds and heroine on his bed. Those big bright eyes would soon cloud up when he starts the drug injections. He’ll make the kid lick the powder off of the floor, off of his shoes, and off of his penis. Nakada smirked at all the thoughts running through his head as he watched one of his men cover a white, damp cloth over the child’s mouth. He’ll tear through that asshole, he thought as he watched Akihito’s eyelids starting to droop. He’ll have him tied and restrained in the most awkward and painful positions, he imagined. And when the little boy’s body finally fell limp, he coughed out a laugh.


	3. Soiled Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belong to yamane ayano  
> Warnings: unedited, au, oc, ooc, abuse, violence, angst, drug use, drug abuse, depression etc etc etc

**Chapter two – Soiled Evidence**

“My god…is that a child in the trash bins?” a woman asked as she passed by the alley.

“It is! I can’t believe it! That’s so disgusting!” another woman cried out, and soon, a crowd gathered around the alley entrance way. The sound of muttering and gossip grew louder and louder, but that did not bother the child who was rummaging through the trash cans located behind a small restaurant. The child tossed aside bags and loose trash onto the gravel behind him, causing the pedestrians to back away, but they still remained close enough to observe his actions. The kid’s head was deep inside the cans, which perked the audience’s curiosity. The child looked to be rummaging for food. His skinny legs, which were sticking out of his shorts, were pretty good evidence. Heck, they can’t even be called legs. They were two sticks of bones with skin wrapped around them.

It was mid-autumn, and the weather grew substantially cooler each day as time headed towards winter. But even though the crowd looked on with sympathy and pity, it still didn’t make even a single one of them offer up their lunches or coats to the poor kid wearing summer’s clothing searching for food in a trash can.

“Hey!” a little boy around five in the crowd called out. “You can have my orange!” he offered, but immediately got pulled away by his mother. “Don’t talk to him, he’s dirty!” and away they went.

After throwing away a few more trash bags out of his way, the kid finally emerged out of the can, holding a piece of yakisoba bread. The sandwich already had a few bites taken out of it, but that didn’t stop the starving kid form stuffing the bread into his mouth like it was caviar.

The crowed cringed, and a few even threw up, but the kid could care less what people thought of him. The tee shirt he was wearing was a child sized shirt, but it was too large on his thin frame. His shorts were held up by a shoelace he probably found in a park or somewhere. He was wearing shoes, but they were tied to his feet so they wouldn’t fall off. But the most shocking sight was how bony this kid was. He looked to be around ten or twelve, but he was too tall for that age. The kid clearly has been starving for ages, evident by his bony legs and twig like arms. His cheeks were hollowed to the point where you could see the outlines of his skull. His black hair was covered in flies and trash bits, but his appearance didn’t bother him one bit.

Once the kid finished consuming his bread, he took one final look at the spectators before he ran down the opposite side. He staggered quite a bit as he ran for he had no flesh in his legs. The bread will probably give him diarrhea again, but at least his stomach will be filled for a few hours. That trash bin was one he hit up regularly. He would always wait there for a few hours until closing time, and when the restaurant workers came out to throw away the leftover food, he would go and dig in on the feast. But it seemed the owner finally took notice of the missing food and stopped throwing them away. When the kid was waiting by the street today, the owner was keeping guard outside and he was noticed. The son of a bitch was going to throw away the goods anyways, just because he was eating the thrown out food for free, the owner stopped. But the kid understood why, maintaining an image in Asia was very important. The kid sighed. Japan has become increasingly corrupted. But more importantly, he needed to find another restaurant trash bin to target now.

He had a decent life before. He had a few friends, a fun way to make money, but that all went down the drain when he gained a new “home.” Being an orphan, wandering the streets alone, and scamming people for money, had made him crave for a home; a family to greet when he came home, a table covered with warm food, and a hot bath, all given to him without any conditions. He wanted to be able to eat good food without having to suck cock first. He wanted to sleep on a bed without having to masturbate first, and he wanted to have new things without having to beg for drugs first.

Drugs…drugs…white powder…he needed white powder.

The kid began to tremble at the thought of heroin, cocaine, opium and more powders. He bit his lips and covered the old injection scars on his left arm as he slid down onto the cold, stone gravel. He wanted to quit, he honestly did. But the last time he resisted his urges, he nearly bit off his tongue; however a stranger stopped him just in time.

The stranger offered him a job. He would go out and make whatever money he can, and if he can make enough, he’ll be rewarded with some white powder or white pills.

 _“The last person that tried to get over his addictions committed suicide…Your addiction is already too strong, there’s no way you can quit…”_ the boy recalled his employer’s words

 _It’s fine…it’s fine…as long as I can get money, he’ll give me all the drugs I need…for the rest of my life…_ the kid reassured himself as he stood back up. He had just taken a dose this morning, but his whole body was shivering none stop. The kid reached inside his shorts pocket and pulled out a little white package. With trembling hands, the boy slowly opened up the paper and hurriedly ingested the flour looking powder. For the next few minutes, he just stood against the brick walls and waited for the drug to work its magic.

The shivering soon slowed down, and the boy could feel nothing but lightness and dizzying bless. His head felt clearer, and his legs felt stronger. He let out a satisfied sigh and went to work. He needed money for tomorrow’s dosage. Food, he can find in trash cans or on the sidewalk, but drugs was something that needed money.

With slow steady steps, he walked out of the alley and onto the main road. He swatted away the flies encircling his body and searched for a target. How nostalgic. He used to do this with his two friends. The three of them would fine someone well off, use the “pitiful child” scheme, and rob the person their riches. However, with him covered in trash and flies, no one would want to take pity on him up close. It can only be ‘grab and run.’

It was a Saturday, so the streets were packed full with vendors and private owners displaying their money out in the open. Snatch and run; that’s all he needed to do. He would first go up to a busy vendor, pretend to browse through the merchandise laid out in the open, then grab the money and run. It was that easy. Usually, the vendors were owned by the elderly, which meant they could never catch up to him, even if his legs were fragile.

“Come and get it! Five for ten dollars, five for ten dollars!” a sales lady shouted.

Even though he was smothered in trash, there were too many people touring the night markets to really notice him. The kid merged with the crowd and went to the nearest stall from him – an elderly woman selling handmade oriental handbags.

The woman was busy with several girls, gushing over which designs were cuter, but the only design the boy found cute was the money purse next to the old woman. The woman had her back to the purse as she continued to help the high school girls out with their choices, and the kid took this opportunity to sneak up behind the woman. He pretended to browse through the selection of silk hand bags. He pretended to yawn and looked around the streets to make sure no one noticed him, and then he grabbed it. He grabbed the purse, ducked low into the crowded streets and ran as fast as his skinny legs would take him.

“Hey! Hey you!” the woman from the stand shouted.

_Damn, she noticed._

Someone help! There’s a thief! Somebody help!” she screamed, and soon enough, several large men, carrying solid wooden bats started running his way.

The kid took a quick glance behind him and saw the men gaining up on him. He felt his adrenaline pumping hard as he crushed his foot harder into the gravel. He knocked people out of the way and onto the ground, hoping it will slow down his pursuers, but these men, unlike him, get to eat properly at a table, with bowls and chop sticks.

The boy ducked under a set of wooden stairs, hoping the men would pass him by. He coughed when he inhaled a breath full of dust and cobwebs. He felt his shorts growing damp as the wet mud soaked his clothes. He felt the cockroaches scurrying up his arm, and he heard the squeaking of the mice in the back ground as he waited to see if the men had passed by.

He clutched tight onto the thick wallet and waited one heartbeat after another. There was something smelly near him and he only realized too late that it was dog shit. He cringed, but dared not to make a sound. If they caught him, they would really kill him. His body could barely hold his own weight; a beating with those wooden boards would without a doubt cost him his life.

Death didn’t sound bad, but the many times he had wanted to die, the many times he had attempted suicide, he always backed out. Thinking, “maybe I’ll do it tomorrow…”

He didn’t want to die yet. No matter how miserable and pathetic his life was currently, he still wanted to live. There was just that thin string of hope still tied around his soul that’s giving him the will to go on. The tiny hope that perhaps tomorrow, lady luck will finally smile upon him. He had read in a book, which read “living on Earth was a mission from god.” And at that moment, he thought that if he was able to complete this mission, god will award him with happiness and bless. He wanted to experience happiness again, and he wanted to experience warmth again. If he endures long enough, the lord will finally award him a family…just a little longer…he just had to endure a little longer.

When the voices of his pursuers finally died down, the boy crawled out from underneath the porch and ran as far away from the lively markets as possible. He would need to wash up first, and then he would count his money…and finally, he will get some sleep on the park’s bench.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey! Hey!” the distant shouting’s of a man’s voice shook the kid back into the conscious, windy world. He cracked open an eye and the first thing he saw was a man’s, angry, wrinkly face, right above his.

“What the fuck do ya think ya doin’ sleeping in front of my store ya little shit!?” the man’s shouted at him vulgarly, hitting him full force with his spit shower.

“Nghh…what…?” the boy confusingly asked. After a quick wash up in the fountain at the park last night, the boy threw away the purse and pocketed the money, and from the current situation, it seems he had fallen asleep on the front steps of a small grocery store.

“I said…what the fuck are ya doing sleeping in front of my store?!” the man shouted out once more.

“Oh…” the boy muttered out. “I’m sorry…I was really tired last night…I’ll go now…” he said as he began to stand up.

“Hey, hold it ya little shit” the man said as he reached out and grabbed onto the boy’s twig like arm. “Ya think ya can just leave after sleeping on my property the whole night? This is my property ya slept on! Now pay up for a night’s stay ya little shit! And ya also need to pay compensation fees for driving away all of my morning regulars!”

“What?” the boy shouted. “I didn’t mean to sleep here…I’m sorry alright?”

“This ain’t a free world kid, pay up or I’ll call the cops” the owner threatened.

“Hey man! Look, I said I was sorry, and I don’t have any money on me anyways!” the boy argued back.

“Oh yea? Then what’s that in ya pocket?” the man said as he pointed at the corner of a thousand yen bill sticking out of the boy’s pocket and began grabbing for it.

“Stop! Hey! That’s my money!” the boy cried out, drawing attention, but once again, no one helped.

“Ya little shit! That’s _my_ money! Ya slept on my property and drove away my customers. Ya own me!” the man shouted.

The boy fought back with all he had, but it wasn’t enough. His bony limbs were no match for a fleshy one. The boy gasped in surprise when the man shoved him hard onto the solid pavement and started stomping his foot down onto him. The boy curled up into a ball, screaming for help as the harsh, merciless blows rained down on him like a hammer.

“Help! Somebody help!” he shouted, but the only thing he received was pitiful glances from pedestrians. Some didn’t even bother to turn an eye towards him.

“Ya” _stomp_ “Little” _stomp_ “Shit!” _**Stomp**_

The man finally pulled back, huffing angrily. He looked at the kid, curled up on the ground, sobbing and bleeding, but he didn’t care. He wanted his money, and he took it.

“No money uh? Ya little bitch, there’s at least thirty thousand here!” the man said and hurled a wad of spit towards the quivering kid.

“P-please…you don’t under-understand…” the boy stuttered out. “I ne-need that money…please…please give it back to me…”

“I don’t give a shit, now get off my property or I’ll throw ya into an oncoming car!” and with that, the store’s front doors slammed shut.

The boy weakly pulled himself off of the ground, wiping away the blood dripping down his forehead. He tried to stand up, but his legs immediately gave up. The bastard already took his drug money, if he stayed any longer, his life will be taken too. No, there was no way he was going to die now. He still wanted that reward god promised him. He just has to endure…that’s all.

Mustering whatever strength was left in his worn out body, the boy finally managed to stand on up on his feet and limped away from the property. He needed to get more money…

Endure…he thought as he dragged his bruising leg forward. Endure…endure…

He chanted the words over and over again in his head, hoping it will give him some motivation, but soon, streaks of tears slid from his eyes and down his dirt covered face… _endure_ …he thought again between sobs.

“Please…would you spare some change?” the boy asked as he tried his best to swallow his sobs. “Please sir…would you spare some change for food…?” he tried again. “Please spare some change….” He tried again as he stood against the wall, clutching his chest tightly to prevent his fracture ribs from breaking further, praying someone would spare him a little money so he could get his white powder before he starts to spasm again. It was only morning, he had taken a dosage last night, but that too, will soon wear off.

Throughout the chilly day, some kind souls would toss some coins his way, and some would even give him bills. But there still wasn’t enough for the drugs, and he could start to feel his body shivering slowly once more. He didn’t have another dosage on him, so if he lost control in the middle of town, no one would stop to call an ambulance. They would probably watch him twitch until he finally bites off his own tongue and bleed to death. He was pretty far away from his employer’s hideout and he wasn’t sure if he could make it in time, but perhaps if he was closer to the place, his employer would be kind enough to help him out again, and he will promise to make double the amount next time.

Gathering up the scattered coins and bills on the ground, the boy got up and started limping his way down the street once more. He felt the shivering intensify, but there was still a ways to go before he loses complete control of his body.

The boy cursed as another electric like pain shot through his leg. The bastard probably fractured his legs too. He barely eats anything, and the only liquid he consumes is water. Milk or cheese to help build strong bones was a luxury item in his mind. The only time he could drink milk was if he robbed a bowl of it from a cat.

As he wandered down the road, he watched people’s lives pass by him. He saw girls gossiping over a magazine while eating double scoop ice creams. He saw elementary school boys, singing their school song while chewing on a barbecued squid. And he saw business men talking on their cell phone while carrying a bento. He was jealous; insanely jealous of every single one of them. If he wasn’t hurt right now, he would go up to one of those little boys, steal their squid and eat it, he thought as he felt the tears welling up in his eyes once more. He had remembered eating fatty tuna before. There were four of them, two for him and two for his mother. But his mother never came back so he ate her share for her. He remembered he and his friends would go for victory ice creams whenever they had an on day. And he remembered the food served at the brothel. It was disgusting, but right now, the taste of that potato stew made by the chief there felt like angels dancing on his taste buds. The boy closed his eyes and tried to taste the air as he remembered all of the foods he had eaten once before. He also tried to remember the warmth of a blanket wrapped around him at night, and the softness and comfort of a mattress. But now, all those things were gone. His whole life revolved around stealing and drugs. He couldn’t live without the drugs, and he couldn’t get his drugs without money. He had always told himself, one day, he would get himself out of this mess, but who was he kidding. He was a hard core addict now. The money he manages to steal was barely enough to get him a dosage of powder. There wasn’t even enough money left over for a bottle of clean water.

The boy allowed his tears to mar the ground as he walked towards his employer’s house. He loved to visit his past. He wanted to live the rest of his life in his past, but the cruel present never allowed him. It forced him to keep walking forward. He had hoped the lord will reward him one day, but if god’s offspring’s won’t even ask him if he was okay, what can god do for him? The boy let out a laugh. He had trapped himself in a fantasy. There’s no one that would help him. Even if he died, time will still keep ticking, the earth will continue rotating, lives will keep living, and his dead body – filled with poison – will be consumed by Mother Nature as nutrients. _There was no god._

The shivering reached his neck by the time he had reached a black car parked at the curb of the road. He tried to control the twitching, but his whole body started spazzing uncontrollably. He felt his legs beginning to melt and his mind began to spin. Mustering whatever strength and control he still had, the boy lifted his foot up once more and tried to take another step forward. As his foot hit the ground, his knees cracked, his foot twisted and he plummeted to the ground head first. First, he heard a loud sickening crack, and then he felt the warm blood oozing out of his head, crawling away from him, but the feeling of cold loneliness predominated all.

The boy tried to get up once more, but fell to the ground within seconds. He turned his head to see who was looking at him, but what he saw shocked him more than anything. He saw it, his own reflection in the black, polished car. A wide eyed boy, with rings of black underneath his eyelids, and a face so bony, the cheek bones looked jagged. And hands so thin he swore he could see all twenty seven bones. But the worst of all was that pitiful look in his eyes, covered in tears and dirt. He was gone, and so he screamed. He gathered himself off of the ground and scooted away from the reflection, but he could still see it...he could still see himself. He clawed at his face and screamed and cried. This wasn’t him; this wasn’t how he was supposed to turn out. How did everything end up this way? Yes…it was because of that fat pig of a mayor he stabbed. The pig pumped him full of drugs, the pig tried to break him, and when the pig finally tried to rape him, he stabbed him repeated, but not enough to kill him. Ever since that incident, he had fled from the summer house in Karuizawa. He had hid in the back of a truck and came to the neighbouring town, which was where he found out his drug addiction was incurable. Yes…it was all because of that fat pig…it was entirely that corrupted mayor’s fault, it wasn’t his fault…

The drugs were too strong, so strong that it broke him completely. He has become its slave, it has become his life. He wasn’t strong enough to fight it…

The boy’s hysterical cries and violent spasms caused people on the road to run away from him. He saw mothers dragging their child far away from him. He saw girls looking at him with disgust and guys looking at him, pointing and laughing.

He tried to hide his face behind his hands. He didn’t want strangers to see what he had become; he didn’t want to see what he had become.

He then heard footsteps approaching, but he didn’t pay any attention to it. He wanted to die…and this time, he meant it. He no longer wanted to endure. He had endured enough. The best reward god could bestow upon him was eternal rest.

Completely consumed in his own despair, the boy did not even notice the approaching man until a deep voice called out to him “what’s wrong?” The kid looked up but all he could see now was spiders crawling up his arms, which made him scream his voice hoarse. The hallucinations were finally starting to kick in.

“Hey! Calm down” the voice came again.

The boy looked up to see a scar-faced man with bugs and blood oozing out of his skin, which made him kick and punch the air in front of him. He tried to back away more, but he was already up against the wall. The scar-faced man bent down and reached for him, trying to hold him down.

“Calm down kid…what’s wrong…Your head is bleeding a lot…do you need an ambulance?”

“No…no…” the kid spazzed out, “powder…I need white powder…

“White powder? The man pondered for a moment before realizing what the kid was referring to. “What’s a little brat like you doing taking drugs?”

“N-N-Nee…d…Pw…powder…” the boy shook violently while clutching hard onto his thin little arms, hard enough to draw out blood from his visible veins. “No! No! I-I-I don’t…don’t need your…p-pity…!”

“I have powder –” the scar-faced man began, but quickly got cut off when the boy lunged violently into him.

“G-Give…give…me…I-I can suck…suck good…I-I…can…do…do a-anything…no…no…no pity!” the boy cried out as he jumped back and forth between his trance as the last of last night’s drug vanished from his system.

“Here” the scar-faced man said as he pulled out and held up a blister pack containing several white pills.

It wasn’t what he usually took, but he had taken the pills before too. And as soon as his salvation came into sight, he tackled the man, aiming for the pack of drugs.

The pills fell onto the ground, and a few popped out of the package, but the boy scurried over to the freed pills and licked it off of the side walk. Only when he swallowed, did he feel his body calming down, and his mind floating into the heavens.

He felt a gentle touch on the small of his back and he marvelled at the warmth of a concerned touch.

“What’s your name son?” the scar-faced man asked.

The boy looked up to have a proper look at the face, and he couldn’t help but feel a hint of nostalgia. The man stood out like a sore thumb in his fancy white suit. As his vision began to clear up, he noticed that the man wore the scar on the right side of his face, but that didn’t defy that handsome, manly face. The man's strong muscular built and lean figure made him jealous. He was too bony…even though puberty had hit him about a year ago, the drugs and malnutrition made him look like a living skeleton wearing hollowed skin. But who knows how handsome he’ll look once he gets some meat back onto his body.

“T-Takaba…Akihito…” the boy whispered just before electric signals of peace and happiness stimulated his brain, shutting it off for rest.


	4. Marsh Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belong to yamane ayano. Next few chapters ideas are taken from the story the pearl princess.

**Chapter Three – Marsh Flowers**

Marsh – break down the old, welcome the new

"Mountains cannot crush the earth, no matter the weight"

Akihito noticed several things were out of place even before he opened his eyes. First was that despite it being October, he felt warm. Past experiences have taught him that sleeping on a park bench in October should leave him half frozen. Second. He was laying on something soft. Past experiences have taught him that sleeping outside usually meant waking up to a hard ground or a dirty wooden bench. And thirdly, he smelled food, right beside him, which induced the thought of stealing for foraging for food later into his head.

He slowly opened one eye, but quickly shut it for the light above him was too bright; however, with a few flutters, he soon adjusted. Next was the other eye. His system, packed filled with poisonous drugs weren’t used to such brightness, but he still had to open them. He needed to see what was going on around him. Was he in heaven? What happened? The last memory he had was of him screaming at his own disturbing reflection.

Akihito turned his head off to the side and noticed he was in a very large room decorated with many fancy furniture and paintings. They looked European; he remembered the style because the mayor he used to live with loved western looks.

Following the smell of the food, Akihito looked up at the night table beside him and saw a steaming warm bowl with the handle of a spoon sticking out from it. As if it was reflex, he immediately sat up, grabbed the bowl and gulped down the contents. He didn’t know what he was putting into his body, all he knew was that it was edible, and it was heavenly and pure bless. He used the spoon to scrape whatever was left in the bowl into his mouth as he continued to swallow everything that had come into contact with his tongue; whether it was solid or liquid.

After he had finished, Akihito put the bowl back onto the night table and wiped his mouth. Whatever it was, it was the best meal he has ever had. He didn’t care if it was poisoned, or left for someone else; he had never wanted something so bad before. Of course, he had never actually remembered how he acts when he goes into shock due low concentrations of narcotics in his system.

Akihito sat there for a few minutes and felt the warmth of the food travelling down into his shrivelled up stomach. He let out a quiet sob at the incredible feeling of eating fresh, warm food, and the incredible feeling of sleeping in such a warm, comforting bed. But whose place was this? It looked expensive and he had maybe only a thousand yen that he earned from begging on the streets earlier.

Swinging his legs out from under the heavy, dawn covers, Akihito slipped on the slippers laid beside the bed. He wowed and admired for a few seconds at how soft and soothing the slippers material felt on his blisters.

The room was incredibly big. And when he turned around, he noticed the bed was the biggest he had ever seen. His previous pig of an owner didn’t even have a bed this big. Akihito pocked his hands when he felt a chill coming in. Even though the phenomenal room was heated, having zero percent body fat couldn’t keep any part of him warm. The inside of the pockets was fluffy and soft, unlike his torn up shorts filled with holes. Wait…immediately looking down, Akihito noticed he was in a white bathrobe, not his usual tee shirt and shorts. He also noticed he was bathed and bandaged. His chest has been tightly bandaged to stabilize his broken ribs. His bruises have some sort of white ointment on them to speed up healing, and all his cuts had a cute kero designed bandages over them. Akihito studied his body, which didn’t feel like his anymore in awe when the large double doors to the room opened to reveal an elegant looking woman in a maid get up.

“Sir!” the woman cried out when she saw him standing on his fractured leg in the middle of the room. She immediately ran up to him and gently led him back into the bed. “Sir, you must not put pressure on yourself, you are severally injured” the woman informed him as she tucked him back into bed.

Akihito stared at the maid speechlessly as he allowed her to treat him like a little baby. The woman smiled when she saw the empty bowl on the night stand. “I see you’re all done here, so I’ll be taking that…” the woman said as she picked up the tray.

“Ummm…?” Akihito interrupted and the woman turned around and beamed him a smile.

“Don’t worry dear, I’ll have the chief cook up something nice for you in a moment” the woman said before exiting the room, leaving Akihito alone once again.

 _Who was that? An angel?_ Akihito thought to himself. This gorgeous room, this comforting bed, that warm bowl of soup, and that angelic woman…he was in heaven. It seemed he had really died this time, Akihito convinced himself as he tried to backtrack his actions within the last few hours. After finally facing his own reflection in that car – seeing his true self – he freaked. But what happened after that? He remembered seeing a face…a nostalgic face…

As he consumed himself in thoughts, the room doors opened once more, this time, revealing a man. The man was wearing a white coat and was carrying a black leather bag in his hand which perked his curiosity. The man came up to the bed and sat down beside him.

“How are you feeling son?” the man asked.

“F-fine…” Akihito replied hesitantly. _What is going on…? ___

__“Relax, everything is fine. You’re safe now” the man reassured. “I am a doctor and I’m just going to perform a few checks. Is your breathing normal?” he asked._ _

__Akihito took a moment to observe his breathing and then nodded._ _

__“Good…and does your chest hurt?_ _

__“A little, but not too much…” Akihito replied meekly._ _

__“Good…you’re not feeling light headed or anything either?”_ _

__“I do a little…”_ _

__“Hmm, that should go away after we get some food into you kid” the doctor laughed. It was such a heartily laugh._ _

__“I’m just going get some blood samples from you for a blood test and then we will be done. Hold out your arm” the doctor instructed and Akihito blindly obeyed._ _

__“What’s going on…? Where am I?”_ _

__“This is one of Takeo-sama’s residences. I believe he found you unconscious last night on his way back from home. I’m not too clear on the details but Takeo-sama will be back soon so you can ask him all of your questions then” the doctor smiled as he put on a pair of latex gloves. He pressed around his arm a few times, looking for a good place to draw blood, and when he found it, he wiped a cool pad over the area and tied a rubber band just above._ _

__“This will hurt just a little” the doctor smiled again._ _

__Akihito was blown away at the acts of kindness he was receiving. He still didn’t understand what was going on, or who this Takeo-sama was, but the warmth he felt blooming in his chest was such a nice foreign feeling to him…until he saw the needle._ _

__“No!” Akihito screamed and retracted his arm. “No! Get that thing away from me!”_ _

__“Son?” the doctor reached out, concern laced in his voice. Did he do something wrong? The kid seemed fine just a few seconds ago. And just then, he remembered._ _

__Drug abuse…the doctor recalled._ _

__Takeo-sama had informed him the child was a victim of drug abuse. The needle in his hands probably looked like those injection needles used in the narcotic world._ _

__“Hey kiddo” the doctor said in a soothing quiet voice. “This needle isn’t one of those, trust me. Do you see anything in here? See? It’s empty” the doctor said as he held up the needle for the trembling boy to see. “I swear on my life, there is nothing that will hurt you in here”_ _

__Akihito continued to stare at the man in white grub and at the needle in his hand. The man’s face hid no lies, but Akihito knew better then to judge based on first appearance. Akihito stared cautiously at the man and scooted an inch away from the doctor as he held onto his arm tightly to prevent the doctor from grabbing him and forcing him down for an injection._ _

__“Alright kiddo…don’t worry, I won’t force you. We’ll call it a day for now alright?” the doctor said with a smile as he put the needle away and Akihito visibly relaxed, but still continued to put up a guard just in case. Just then, a deep voice suddenly interrupted, causing both bodies in the room to startle in surprise. “What’s going on?” the voice called out?_ _

__The doctored turned around and gasped out. “Takeo-sama? Back already?”_ _

__“I wanted to see how the little puppy was doing” the new comer teased as he smirked towards Akihito._ _

__“He is doing great sir, but we’ll have to pull back the blood test. It seems the needle reminded him of past injections…” the doctor informed and the man named Takeo nodded in agreement._ _

__“Fair enough, we don’t want past trauma to harm you now do we?” the man said as he came closer to the bed._ _

__Akihito stared at the man in awe. This man was insanely handsome, and that scar on his face just made him look cooler. The man wore a regular navy blue polo accompanied by a pair of jeans. He looked like the prince that came out of fairy tales. So consumed with this man’s presence, Akihito did not even realize his mouth was gaped open with drool staring to spill until the doctor took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth._ _

__“What’s the matter? Don’t remember me? You picked my pockets about a year ago. Remember? Ox leather wallet, sixty thousand yen inside…?” the man said in a cheery tone and ruffled his hair. “So he is doing fine?” he asked the doctor once more._ _

__“Yes Takeo-sama.”_ _

__“Good, thank you for your work”_ _

__“I will come back tomorrow for another check-up, but please call me if anything comes up” the doctor said as he got up to leave._ _

__Once the door clicked close, Takeo pulled up a chair and sat at the bed side. For the next few minutes, the two of them just stared at each other silently. Finally, it was Akihito who broke the silence._ _

__“Ummm…who are you…?”_ _

__The man chuckled. “I’m your guardian angel” he teased._ _

__“I’m serious!”_ _

__“Hahah…My name is Takeo Isamu, nice to meet you Akihito-kun” the man greeted._ _

__“Takeo?” Akihito asked._ _

__“That’s right.”_ _

__“Why…why did you bring me here…?”_ _

__“I’m a softy” Takeo chuckled as he stroked Akihito’s hair. “I have a habit of picking up every injured puppy I find.”_ _

__“Heyyyy….” Akihito whined at being called an injured puppy. “I’m serious…tell me the truth…”_ _

__“I am. I’m weak against women and children and occasionally, little animals. I can’t turn my back on them especially when they need help.”_ _

__Akihito stared at the man for a moment. “Wow…you’re amazing…” he unconsciously whispered out loud and the man chuckled. “But _who_ are you? Your home is so pretty…”_ _

__Takeo chuckled again. “I’m the head of the Takeo clan. You could say I’m a business man, but enough about me, let’s talk a little about you. How old are you kiddo?” he asked._ _

__“Ummm…I think I’m fourteen…maybe fifteen. Not sure…”_ _

__“When’s your birthday?” Takeo asked._ _

__“I don’t remember…I never celebrated it so I eventually forgot…” Akihito replied meekly._ _

__“Hey hey hey, you never had a birthday party? You don’t know your own date of birth?” Takeo asked and Akihito nodded in response._ _

__“Now that’s not right” he said as he rubbed his thumb on the back of the small boy’s hand. “Poor child…”_ _

__“I think my birthday was around spring time though…I remember my mama making a big deal about it whenever the plum flowers blossomed…but I don’t remember much…”_ _

__“Then I’ll give you a birthday. May the fifth.”_ _

__“Why that day?” Akihito asked confusingly._ _

__“Because that’s my birthday; on that day, we’ll celebrate our birth into this world together.”_ _

__“Together…? What do you mean? I’ll get to see you again on your birthday?” Akihito asked._ _

__“Yes, you’ll get to see me on my birthday, the next day, the next year, five years from now and five years after that” Takeo said. “Akihito, I have decided to bring you into my family. There’s no way I can throw a homeless little boy back onto the streets. Everybody deserves a home”_ _

__“…” Akihito stared blankly at the man, which caused him to laugh._ _

__“What’s the matter kiddo?” Takeo asked between chuckles._ _

__“What are you talking about? Me? In your family?” Akihito asked, unable to believe what he was hearing._ _

__“Yes, you in my family” Takeo repeated himself._ _

__“But...I don’t understand…? Why? You suddenly found me on the road and brought me home and tell me you want me as a family member? This is so…so sudden…We're only met a second ago...and you bring this up?”_ _

__“Do you remember how we met Akihito?”_ _

__The boy shook his head._ _

__“I found you near my car. You were crying and running amok. You begged me for “white powder.” I gave you some pills, and you calmed down and fell asleep only after you ate it.”_ _

__“Y-You saw me…?” Akihito asked with wide opened eyes. His drug induced state was something he feared people seeing. He doesn’t want the look of pity directed at him, and he doesn’t want the look of disgust directed at him. That side of him was something he had wanted to keep hidden forever._ _

__“I saw you” the man replied earnestly._ _

__“Then why do you want me…?” Akihito asked in a meekly voice. “I’m an addict.”_ _

__“Akihito, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here. Don’t worry about being an addict; I can help you overcome it.”_ _

__“What?!” Akihito cut in. “But that’s impossible, my employer informed me I’m in too deep, I can never quit…”_ _

__“Employer? Do you mean supplier?” Takeo asked. “Akihito, listen to me. Dealers tell all their clients that so they can sell their drugs. If the clients believe they need to relay on narcotics for the rest of their lives, the dealers would have a steady source of income. Do you understand Akihito?”_ _

__The boy didn’t move…couldn’t move as he listened to the words of concern being spoken at him. When was the last time he heard such caring words being directed at him? He couldn’t remember, he couldn’t remember anything anymore. His mind had always been in a constant haze ever since he was forced to live in Karuizawa. He couldn’t remember what his two friends’ faces looked like anymore, he could barely remember their names now. The drugs have ruined him, and they continued to do so. He had sunk down into the lowest level of society. Foraging for food through trash cans, stealing money from families and eating drugs right off of the floor; he was more than pathetic, more than pitiful. He was disgusting._ _

__“Akihito? Are you listening?” Takeo asked. “I promise I will help you overcome your addiction.”_ _

__“No…no, you can’t…it’s already too late” Akihito silently sobbed. “Look at me! Look at me…I’m sick…I’m dirty, I’m…I’m ruined…”_ _

__Seeing the broken boy break out in tears, the older man leaned in close and pulled the boy close to his chest, giving him comfort and warmth. He wrapped his arms around the bony, trembling back, and cupped the back of the child’s injured head and cradled him. “You’re perfect kiddo…I promise, once you get some meat back onto those bones, you’ll feel better. The chief is preparing a feast for you, all for you. Eat and then we’ll talk some more alright?”__

 _ _~~~~~~~~~~__

 _ _“The blood test results came back?” Takeo asked the doctor sitting across from him._ _

__“Yes sir.”_ _

__After Akihito cried himself back to sleep, the doctor came in and secretly took some blood for examining, and the results made the poor doctor’s soul ache._ _

__“Heroin levels are predominant, there are also traces of cocaine and opium…but those are relatively low” the doctor explained as he read the reports._ _

__Takeo let out a stressed sigh at the news._ _

__“Be honest with me here. What are the chances of him getting off of these narcotics?” Takeo asked._ _

__“I have never treated a drug abuse victim before…but from what I’ve heard, the procedure is a very miserable path. If we cannot help him rid of his addiction properly, he could die, or he could go mad and start killing. It’s a very risky thing. Some families would rather have their loved ones live on these drugs forever than see them go mad or end up dying a miserable death.”_ _

__“Tell me, will he be able to live if doesn’t take the narcotics?”_ _

__The doctor sighed. “To be frank, the chances of overcoming drug addictions are very low, but those who overcome their addiction through suicide are high” the doctor explained. “However, the reason for death doesn’t come from cutting the drug supply, but from patients who can’t endure the pain that comes with drug termination.”_ _

__“I am more than familiar with an addicted individual, but the procedure to terminate addiction is something I have never thought I would face…” Takeo said with a weary face. “So you are saying the only way to help him overcome this is to force him to endure the pain…?”_ _

__“Correct…it’s the fastest way I know off, but also the most painful…” the doctor explained. “We have to look at two perspectives: the patient’s mind and the patient’s body. If the patient wants to overcome this, then success rates are high, but if the patient has given up hope, then there’s really no way left. From the body’s point of view, drug termination is a very long and miserable procedure, but as long as the patient’s spirit and mind is strong enough to endure, we should succeed” the doctor explained. He picked up the blood results once again and flipped through the pages. “He’s been on drugs for a little over a year, but he has been taking very high dosages…” the doctor said with a cracking voice. _So young_ …he thought. “As I have said before, the fastest way to get through this is to stop his drug intake completely starting today, and have him endure for at least half to one month…”_ _

__“What happens if he starts shivering again?” Takeo asked._ _

__“Distract him, tell him a story, have him think of something else, get his attention away from the narcotics” the doctor replied. “Shivering and trembling is just a phase. It will stop eventually.”_ _

__“So he is cured if he can overcome the shivering?”_ _

__“To ensure he is completely cured, we need to continue this for at least a month” the doctor said. “After a month, when he no longer thinks about drugs – when he no longer craves for it, is when he will be completely cured.”_ _

__“There’s really no easier way…?” Takeo asked quietly. He didn’t want to damage the boy any more than the world had already did, but he also did not want the drugs to deteriorate that small body any longer. Akihito doesn’t look like a teenager at all with this small stature. He looked more like a ten or eleven year old. He still remembers the trembling body, crying in his arms, crying out that he was ruined and disgusting. He wanted to rid the boy of those negative thoughts. The child he met a year ago who snatched his wallet right out of his hands, the boy who kneed his best bodyguard right in the balls was someone he wanted to bring back._ _

__“Other methods could take months or even years to cure, and those require the intake of more medicine. Takeo-sama, the child is already a living skeleton. There’s no color in his lips, his skin is pale white, and he feels cold everywhere to the touch. Introducing more medicine to his system would damage him even further. Not to mention, all medicine are drugs, meaning they all have some sort of negative side effects, be it long term or short term. There’s also the choice of lessening his dosages each day, but that would mean his body would still be exposed to the narcotics poison” the doctor said. “The most painful days would most likely be the first week. After a week, his body should start to revert back to its original system. If he can endure for at least a week, it will increase the success rate by two fold.”_ _

__“What about long term effects after he overcomes his addiction?” Takeo asked._ _

__“If he succeeds, he might be traumatized if he comes across things that resemble his past, for example, a needle. But human minds have the ability to protect their owners when the damage is severe, so the chances of him developing anemia of the past year is very high. If not, and his trauma is too severe, there is always hypnosis.”_ _

__“…”_ _

__A moment of silence passed though the room. The howling of the mid-autumn wind caused the glass windows to shake with fear. The naked branches shook violently in the air as the wind tossed it from side to side, and the moon’s hunting glow cast an army of shadow monsters onto the Earth’s floor. Symbolizing omen was on its way._ _

__“Money is not a problem at all. I will hire whomever I need to help that boy find his way back again. I no longer want him to look so broken, I want his spirit rebuild right away, but I need to overcome the tallest mountain first” Takeo said and the doctor agreed. “Then, starting today, I will get rid of every piece of narcotic in this house hold.”_ _

__Takeo stood up from his chair and walked towards the door. “I’m going to inform Akihito and hear his say in this. I suppose we would need ropes to tie him down if he loses control?”_ _

__“Ropes will hurt his fragile skin, I will prepare some strips of fabric Takeo-sama” the doctor informed and Takeo exited the room with an approved nod._ _

__The hallway leading to the boy’s room was dark, it was a part of the house where moon light did not hit, but the amount of sunlight was abundant. Takeo lifted up his head, looked into the starry sky and sighed. _Another battle is about to start_ he thought to himself and acknowledge that this battle was going to be one of the hardest he will experience in his lifetime._ _

__To help this particular boy find himself once again, is something he absolutely needed to do. He will not allow Akihito to die such a miserable death. Even though this boy was still a completely stranger to him, his resolution was solid as he was a stubborn man._ _

__Was Akihito completely broken? When he first greeted the conscious boy, he had thought he saw a flicker of flame wave in those light hazel eyes. The sun in Akihito hasn’t been completely blocked out yet; the eclipse wasn’t complete, which allowed a sliver of sunlight to still exist in that tiny soul to help keep that fire alive. He will rekindle that sun, and he will rekindle that hope. He will not allow the eclipse to blacken everything._ _

__The room was pitch black when he opened the doors, but he saw the small silhouette sitting up, unmoving._ _

__A shot of electrical fear ran down his spine when he saw the deadly still shadow sitting on the bed. The windows were still closed and nothing in the room seemed broken. Could the boy’s dealers have come to silence him? Rushing towards the light switch, Takeo flipped them on and jerked his head back towards the bed, to see Akihito just staring at him._ _

__“Don’t scare me kid…if you’re awake, say something” Takeo said as he let out a huge breath of relief, but the boy didn’t say anything.  
“Akihito, the doctor and I have a way to help you overcome your addiction. Are you willing to cooperate with us?” Takeo asked as he walked over to the bed._ _

__Akihito looked up. “Why? Why are you helping me?”_ _

__“…” Takeo stared back into that conflicted little face. He really doesn’t know how to answer that question. “Because I want to.”_ _

__“That’s not an answer…” Akihito said._ _

__“Do I need a reason to help someone?” Takeo asked with a smile and Akihito grew silent. “There used to be a little boy who used to life around here, he would be your age now…”_ _

__“What do you mean?” Akihito asked._ _

__“He was taken hostage. I gave them the demanded money, and they gave him back in the form of a carcass…the look of loss on his parents face, the weight on my chest was devastating...” Takeo explained._ _

__“I’m sorry…” Akihito said, offering his condolences._ _

__“Don’t be kid…Don’t ask why anymore alright? I just want to help you. I want to see you running around, kneeing people in the balls and snatching their wallets again” the man joked while ruffling his hair, secretly letting out a relieved sigh when the kid believed his lie._ _

__Akihito let out a small laugh but he quickly covered his mouth. _What was that?__ _

__“You laughed! That’s marvellous!” Takeo cheered._ _

__“Laughed…” Akihito repeated. When was the last time he had laughed? He couldn’t remember at all._ _

__As Akihito continue to amaze at what he had just done, Takeo began explaining their plans to the kid._ _

__“Akihito, starting today, we’re going to cut off your drug supply completely. It will be painful, but we’re all here to help you alright? If you can endure for a week, the rest will be easier…”_ _

__“What?” Akihito cried out. “Completely? But I’ll start spazzing again! People will see me spasm…”_ _

__“I told you, you’ve done nothing shameful. If you can do this, you will never have to worry about people seeing you lose control again” Takeo said._ _

__“H-how about….how about I have my normal dosage t-today…then…then I’ll have half of my normal d-dosage tomorrow…th-then h-half ha-half of that…” Akihito tried reasoning, completely unaware that his body has just started to tremble._ _

__“Akihito, the doctor has informed me that the best method was to completely cut it loose” Takeo explained to the young boy as he reached out and held onto his fragile little hands. “This is the fastest way. It has already been half a day since the last time you took it, let’s keep this up alright?”_ _

__“H-Half a day…? No…it’s been…been at least…a d-day…” Akihito shuttered._ _

__“Akihito, today is the first day, don’t give up so soon alright? Swallow it down, endure it.”_ _

__“Endure…?” Akihito whispered. “I have always been enduring…” With a shattered look on his face, Akihito swung his legs out of bed and onto the carpeted floor and walked towards the moon lit window. He limped – convulsing with every step – as he walked towards the window. The moon was particularly round this evening. The moon’s light was so lonely and saddening…how did the moon endure being along for so long? He had remembered his mother telling him a story about the goddess of the moon. She ate the elixir of immortality and her body floated up to the cold, lonesome sphere. Only she lived on that circular orb in the sky, with no one there to accompany her.  
“Akihito…” Takeo spoke out. The boy’s body had started to become stiff and choppy. “Akihito, did you know that your eyes remind me of someone very close to me…”_ _

__Akihito turned around to look at the man’s face._ _

__“I see so much of you in that someone…” Takeo said as he reached out to gently pull Akihito away from the light of the moon and towards the bed. “Why don’t you tell me about your mother Akihito?”_ _

__“M-My mama…the two…two of us used to w-work in a brothel…I-I was still t-too young but she worked…th-then she got bought…a-and I-I never s-saw her a-again…” Akihito explained._ _

__“How did you end up on the streets?” Takeo asked as he held the boy tightly in his chest._ _

__“A-A year ag-o…N-Naka…da…bought me…t-then…then…I e-escaped…” Akihito gasped out as the shivering became worse. “B-But...he…he never…received me…he never…t-took me” Akihito let out a small victorious smile._ _

__“Hahah, I image you got him pretty good?” Takeo continued the conversation as he began rocking the boy gently in his arms._ _

__“Y-Yea…I st-stabbed him…g-good…Ah...ah…!” Akihito chocked as he began to feel the pain invade his body. He felt his limps starting to spasm wildly and his eyes unable to focus on the objects in front of him. He desperately reached out for his saviour, trying to feel whatever he could. He wanted to grab onto the warmth present in front of him but he couldn’t reach it._ _

__“Akihito! Akihito…remember, remember your mother, and don’t think about the pain” Takeo coaxed as the boy began to convulse intensely. “Akihito, my chief has made you udon. If you don’t like udon, we got curry, donburi, okayu…everything, we have everything here. Tell me what you like to eat Akihito…”_ _

__“Arggg...no…nghh…I…I need…I need…” Akihito gasped out._ _

__“Akihito, you have already suffered so much, this is the last obstacle left…endure it, endure it. I’ll be here to help you” Takeo shouted as he grasped tightly onto that little hand._ _

__“N-Noo…no…get get o-out…you can’t help me…you can’t help me…” Akihito grunted before letting out a scream as the next wave of pain hit him._ _

__“Akihito! Hang in there! I can help you, I will give you strength!” Takeo shouted as he fought to keep the boy down._ _

__“Lies lies lies!” Akihito cried out. “No one can help me! D-Don’t you under-understand?! Only drugs…only drugs can help me!”_ _

__“Listen to me! You can do this! Do you really want to live the rest of your life this way!?” Takeo shouted as he tried to pin the boy down._ _

__The young boy was very strong for someone with his figure; however, Takeo knew the strength human beings were capable of possessing in desperate situations. He has seen a little seven year old boy, desperately trying to stay afloat in water, drowned his father before. Humans bring out their maximum strength when they are in trouble, and Akihito was going into high alert. A foot came out from under the covers and nailed him right in the jaws, Takeo could have sworn he heard a cracking sound when the kick connected, but the moment his hold became loose, Akihito escaped and started breaking everything in sight._ _

__“Give it to me! Give it to me!” he shouted as he knocked over vases and chairs. Grabbing one of the broken glass fragments off of the floor, he grasped it tightly in his hands. “There’s…there are bugs…there are bugs coming out of my s-skin…I-I need to k-kill them…”_ _

__Akihito gasped out as his trembling hand, holding onto the sharp fragment, hovered over his wrist._ _

__“Akihito!” Takeo cried out before lunging at the boy. Grasping onto his hands, Takeo tried to loose Akihito’s grip on the deadly weapon._ _

__“No…No…t-tie…t-tie me up…look at my hands…” Akihito cried out as he held up his shivering hands. “Look at them! Stop them! Tie me up…hurry…g-get ropes!”_ _

__“Somebody hurry up and get in here!” Takeo shouted towards the closed door._ _

__“My head…My head is going to split apart…Ahhhh…my eyes…I can’t see anymore! I can’t hear anymore! Where’s my mama! Where’s my mama!” Akihito cried as he banged his head against the hard floor. “Why are you making me suffer like this?! Save me…save me...”_ _

__“What do you mean you can’t see or hear? Akihito? Let me see!” Takeo shouted as he rushed over to stop the boy from damaging himself further._ _

__“Why are you making me go through this…why didn’t you kill me…why am I alive…” Akihito’s guttural voice sobbed out as his first wave of madness finally began to cease._ _

__Suddenly, the doctor and several men and women came bursting into the room._ _

__“Doctor, he said he can’t see” Takeo explained as he kneeled beside the small boy who finally seemed to have calmed down. The doctor ran up to them and looked into that dead face._ _

__“Son? Look at me son” the doctor said. “Can you really not see anymore? Are you sure it’s not because you think you can’t see?”  
“I-I…” Akihito muttered._ _

__“Akihito…? How are you feeling?” Takeo asked._ _

__“How…how am I feeling…?” Akihito stared up blankly into the man’s eyes. “How am I feeling…?” his weakened voice spoke out again. “Like I want to kill!” Akihito suddenly yelled as he started to hit everything within his vicinity once more. Standing up and going into another rampage, Akihito started going after the weaker ones. He lunged for a woman’s throat but got immediately held back by the men in the room._ _

__“Get out! All of you get out! Or I’ll kill everyone!” Akihito hollered._ _

__“Akihito! Akihito! We’re not going to go anywhere! Cold water! Get some cold water!” Takeo shouted and a man immediately ran out to fetch some._ _

__“You! How could you get me suffer like this!” Akihito cried out. “How could you! You said you would help me! You liar! Liar!”_ _

__“Akihito, we are trying to help you, just endure it, endure it!”_ _

__“No…no…my employer cares about me more than all of you…he cares about me more than you all ever will! He would never let me suffer like this…he’s the one that’s trying to help me! Not you! He would give me drugs…he would give me drugs! I’m tired…I’m going mad! I don’t want to be a part of your family…I’m too tired…this is too hard…I can’t do it I can’t do it! Do you understand?” Akihito hysterically cried out. “I would rather be my employer’s fuck toy…I would rather be his thing…his anything…because he will give me what I want…he will give me drugs! Drugs! Drugs! Drugs!”_ _

__Suddenly, a splash of freezing cold water covered his skin and Akihito screamed at the sudden cold pain, but his rampage stilled once again._ _

__“Akihito!” Takeo shouted as he pinned the boy’s arms down. “Listen to me; it has already been a day since you last took your dose. We’ve already come this far so we’re getting rid of this addiction no matter what. You can hit, you can scream, but we will definitely not lose to that poison! The doctor said you won’t die from not taking it. Since you won’t die, you just have to endure it. Everyone here will stand by you. We will endure this with you. I will not let you fail; your failure is my failure. I will save you no matter what!”_ _

__“No! I don’t want you to save me!” Akihito sobbed. “I want white powder…I want drugs…give it to me! I’ve already failed…so let me live my life in failure…”_ _

__“I refuse to let you fail Akihito!” Takeo shouted._ _

__“Leave me alone! Are you telling me you never failed at anything? You have your failures and I have mine, so leave me alone!” Akihito cried._ _

__“I may have failures, but I never gave up on my own life!”_ _

__“I don’t w-want to live…living is too painful…living is too much of a burden…I don’t want life…I want…I want…drugs…” Akihito grunted as he fell onto his knees, clutching his head. “My head…my head is going to burst…there’s something inside, pulling my head apart…”_ _

__Akihito shuttered as he started beating at his own head._ _

__A sudden loud cracking sound echoed throughout the room, and Akihito fell onto the floor unconscious and shivering._ _

__“Please forgive me Takeo-sama, I think perhaps this could end his pain for the time being…” the man who brought the cold water said._ _

__“No, it’s fine. Thank you.” Takeo said as he lifted Akihito up and walked towards the bed. “Clean this mess up and go get some fresh clothes, I don’t want him catching a cold in his condition” Takeo ordered and the maids immediately went to complete their duties._ _

__“It’s probably best for him to sleep for a while, he truly is too tired. Only sleep is his is tranquillity right now. When he wakes up again, it’s possible that he will go wild once again” the doctor informed and Takeo nodded in agreement.__

 _ _~~~~~~~~~~__

 _ _“M-My body…there’s thousands bugs in there…crawling inside of me…on…on my bones…and in my b-blood…” the boy gasped out once again between his spasms. “I…I give up…let me…let me give up…”_ _

__“Try to remember your friends, Kou and Takato. They don’t know what happened to you right? You have to go see them again and let them know you’re okay now” Takeo encouraged from the sidelines. “Once you’re better, I’ll even invite them here to see you if you want.”_ _

__“No…no…they can’t see me like this…not like this…” Akihito grunted. “Why is it me?W-Why is it me that has to endure this pain…?”_ _

__“Akihito, I’m begging you, let’s try it for another night, alright? Another night, just one more night” Takeo said. It has already been five days since he had brought Akihito back home and every night, he has been coaxing Akihito into trying it for one more night._ _

__“Arggg!” Akihito cried out and lunged away from his bonds and aimed for a maid, pushing her right into the freshly broken shards of glass. “Give it to me! Give it to me!”_ _

__“Get a hold of yourself son! That’s a human being!” the doctor cried out as he rushed over to the bleeding maid._ _

__“I don’t want! I don’t want!” Akihito’s hoarse voice cried out in pain._ _

__“Akihito, you told me about the phrase your mother always says to you right? Remember it? “The mountains can’t crush the earth?” You told me what it means, do you remember? No matter the weight, the earth can endure it and you can too, don’t underestimate yourself. Akihito, remember it! You won’t give up, we won’t give up!”_ _

__“I’ll kill you all! I’ll rip you guys apart!”_ _

__“Remember Kou and Takato? Remember all those stories you told me about them? How the three of you would trick a poor woman with your childish scams? Remember? Once you get through this, you can do it again; I’ll buy you whatever you need to pull off those scams! Akihito!” Takeo shouted and shook the boy._ _

__“Listen to me son” the doctor cut in. “I have thrown ever last piece of heroin or opium or any sort of narcotics into the burner last night. Even if you want it, we have none left! You’ll just have to live with it!”_ _

__“B-bastards…bastards! How could you be so cruel! What…what did I ever do to you?!” Akihito hollered as he lunged towards the doctor with the intention to kill._ _

__“Hold him down!” the men in the room cried out._ _

__“There’s no way left, we have to restrain him! Someone get the ropes! If we’re set on doing this to the end, we need to tie him down!” the doctor screamed to the maids. “Get the fabric strips I prepared!”_ _

__“Get him into that chair!” Takeo shouted and the men moved to force the small boy into the wooden chair. As the fabric strips came one by one, they started to go around Akihito’s legs and arms. When the boy’s struggles became too wild, and the chair shattered into pieces upon hitting the floor, the men had no choice but to tie the boy to the bed; one leg to each post and one arm to each post._ _

__The distant, empty howling of nature raddled against the windows as the sun began to set once more. The past five days felt like an eternity as five men and three women tried to calm a fourteen year old boy down. The walls of the room wore large scars and the furniture were all shattered back into its original, wooden shards. The porcelain vases all broken and ever flower in them completely torn asunder. Even the springs in the bed began to creek. The girls were all covered in bruises from being hit by the little wild beast, and the men were covered in scratches and some even possessed fractured bones. The phenomenal effects of such a small white pill were beyond amazing…and cruel. Just a few was capable of destroying a spirit into unmendable pieces; but Akihito fought back, even if it wasn’t very often, the boy would occasionally beg for help. The week was almost up, just a little longer and success would be in their hands._ _

__During the past few days, Takeo had tried to distract Akihito by asking him about his past. His mother’s name was Yayoi, and he had two partners in crime, whom he considered sworn brothers for life. He didn’t ask him about his time spend in Karuizawa for that might bring forth the trauma and spasms. Takeo listened to each and every one of Akihito’s stories and remembered every detail. He truly cared for the boy. Ever since one year ago, he had become intrigued, but he never managed to find where Akihito was staying at that time. Who knew that a year later, the two of them would meet under the most unfortunate circumstances ever?_ _

__Akihito had finally gained weight. It was only six pounds, but compared to his weight when he first arrived, which was barely sixty pounds, it was a huge improvement. The boy’s skin tone finally began to look a little healthier, some of the color has started to come back into his lips, and his arms and legs began to acquire mass. Whenever they got over one trail, Akihito would eat till excess, and later throw it all up. But seeing the starving kid eat like the gaki (hungry) spirit from one of the realms of Buddhism, he really didn’t have the heart to stop him…even if more were coming out than going in._ _

__The moon slowly fell back into the Earth and soon, the sun rose up once again. The planets continued to rotate as if it can’t hear the cries of pain and suffering going around the Earth. Time is the best healer; however, time is the worst partner. It waits for nobody and it does not express sympathy for anybody. It just moves on, ignoring everything in its path. As the moon rose and the sun fell, as the moon fell and the sun rose, day and night became a battlefield as these five men and three women tried their best to pull this one boy’s soul away from Satan’s clutches. This battle was harder than any shootout and any war they have experienced. Killing is the simplest way, and the most humane way to end such misery, but Takeo didn’t want that. He wanted the boy to come back. He was only fourteen years old; there was so much Akihito hasn’t seen, and so much Akihito hasn’t experienced._ _

__Just a little more, and the sounds of distant gun fire will soon dissolve like water_ _


	5. Angels in Common Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Viewfinder and its characters are properties of yamane ayano  
> Warning: unedited, au, oc, ooc, depression  
> A/N: Sorry everyone for the delays these days, but I've been feeling depressed and sad and tired and all those other healthy emotions. I'm also getting exponentially busy so releases will be slow so I'll apologize in advance. 
> 
> I've been on this biblical/poetry obsession these past few weeks so that's why the beginning of this chapter is filled with excerpts. 
> 
> The following excerpts are taken from:  
> Rejoice in the Lamb - Christopher Smart  
> Hymn to St. Cecilia - W. H. Auden  
> Golden-winged, Silver-winged - Christina Rossetti
> 
> Anyhow, here's Asami's debut. Happy reading :)
> 
> ps. Thank you to all for reading and reviewing, it is much appreciated!

**Chapter 4 - Angels in Common Life**

A woman, adorning shimmering black hair pass her waist, walked through the green fields of the afternoon. She stared up into the sky with a blank, emotionless expression, as if hoping angels would come down from heaven to take her away.

“Why don’t you talk to her instead of just looking? I’m sure she would be thrilled” an unknown man, standing underneath a grand oak tree, hiding within its shades, suggested to the man beside him who continued to stare at the lovely woman.

The two men gazed at the woman as she bent down to pluck the grass and weeds out of the earth.

“No, now is not the time. I can’t make her happy just yet” the other man responded.

“I’m still surprised you didn’t put her to death for becoming your joke and embarrassment” the unknown man said.

The other man’s lips slowly curved up into a smile. “Put her to death? That’s a little harsh isn’t it?”

~~~~~

“Where the moon riseth not, nor sun seeks the west. When they sing their best: not in any flowering tree that springs from earthly sod, but in the garden where they dwell, the Paradise of God…”

Closing the heavy book with a sigh, Akihito placed it back onto the selves and paused in place – thinking. He wasn’t religious, and to him, god’s existence was imaginary; however this unproven entity has been his salvation for the past few years. “…Paradise…” Akihito repeated the word as he walked away from the book self and stopped in front of the small mirror in the small, private library. He still remembered the last time he has had a good look at his refection. His skin was as pale and as dull as moonlight, and his eyes were as hollow as the lunar craters. But now, his skin was blooming rigidly and his eyes tinkled with silver and gold.

Three months has passed since he had become a part of the Takeo house hold. And within that time, he was able to strengthen his roots as sturdy as that of a tree peony. The men and women involved in the war a month ago still bared the scars – evidence of their survival and success – and he too, wore many scars, emotional and physical; however, the feeling of shame and dread still cloud over him every time someone whispers as he walks pass them. He would hide his face and look down at his feet when the servants looked at him, and he would sometimes cry himself to sleep at night from the frustration. He was cured now; he no longer craved for that white dread that had nearly broken him, but some of the trauma still lingered behind.

“Are you that interested in the western cultures?” came a deep male voice from the entrance of the small, private library. “The maids tell me you come here quite often during the day, reading bibles, poems and old literature...anything classical I’ve been told.”

Akihito gave a shy nod and turned away.

“What’s wrong? Are you still avoiding me?” Takeo asked. “Didn’t I tell you there’s nothing to be ashamed about?”

“…Sorry…” Akihito whispered softly. It was difficult to be around his saviors who have brought him into god’s garden. Akihito wanted so much to be act more familiar around the kind man, but his shame and pride just wouldn’t allow it. The man had seen him at his lowest, when he was most inhumane; he just didn’t have the nerves or strength to face him.

The silence in the room stretched on for a couple of awkward seconds until Takeo walked towards one of the bookshelves.

“I didn’t know you could read. Didn’t you tell me you never received an education? What were you reading just now?” he asked.

“I was taught by some of the women at the brothel…a-and it was Golden-winged, Silver-winged…” Akihito replied meekly.

“Beautiful” Takeo commented. “Golden-winged, silver-winged, winged with flashing flame…On wings of flame they went and came with a cadenced clang. Nicely chosen words wouldn’t you say?”

Akihito nodded in agreement.

“So when are you going to mend your broken wings and fill it with fire again?” the older man asked with a soft smile on his face, but Akihito just stayed silent.

“There’s a poem by W. H. Auden…“O weep away the stain…the fortress of their inner foe…wear your tribulation like a rose…” Takeo recalled. “You don’t need to wear you head so low to the ground. A rose is strong, it stands tall, showing the world its beauty and magnificence and you should too. You’re a beautiful young boy; you have nothing to be ashamed off.”

Akihito shook his head. “I feel like a mouse…always running away, hiding in the shadows…but unlike a mouse, I have no room for growth anymore. I have nothing pushing me to grow…my nightmare is gone but…”

This time, Takeo shook his head. “The shadows surrounding you are engulfing you. The shadows of the past- of those drugs are still present. Just because you have gotten over the addiction, doesn’t mean the shadows have left. Walking around the estate with your face glued to your feet, hiding your presence from the sun, fearing it will expose your black past, and worst of all, locking yourself up inside all day, away from any human contact shows that you still have space to grow.”

Akihito backed away.

“The sun seeks the west, the earth seeks to rotate, the seasons seek to change, beings seek to live. Everything in this world all seek something and so do you” Takeo said as he took a step closer to the quiet boy. “A mouse is “a creature of great personal valour…male mouse will not depart, but stands threatening and daring.” If you are a mouse like you've said, than you should be brave” Takeo said as he placed his hands gently on the boy’s messy hair before turning away.

“I’m going to Tokyo tomorrow, and I would like you to come with me and socialize. It’ll be good for you” Takeo said and left before Akihito had a chance to argue.

Alone in the library once again, Akihito slide down onto the carpeted ground and buried his face deep into his arms. He didn’t want to go out. The sun is too bright and there will be millions of eyes out there tomorrow, all staring at him and judging him. The injection scars on his arms had become infinitely lighter, but they were still there – faint, but never less, still present – just like a piece of evidence imprinted into his skin.

He had gained weight – a healthy eighty pounds now – but the occasional dreams still stir up his inner tranquillity, which shows up on the surface. But Takeo was right, he couldn’t hide forever. He still has a shadow to outrun… _wear your tribulation like a rose…_

Even a tiny mouse is capable of showing more bravery than him right now. Has he stooped so low as to hide in a dark corner all day long? Has he really decided to give up on life?

“Their silver wings tinkled, their golden wings rang…” Akihito lifted his head and quietly repeated the lines of the poem to himself.

He is an ill boy. He acknowledges that. His sickly scent can be seen by all, which gathers glances of pity. Perhaps this was why he was afraid of being seen. There is no difference in pity. Pity is pity. The pitiful looks he received from when he was an addict were no different at all from the glazes he has been receiving up until now. He hated that look, it made his stomach turn, and his suffering only fueled those glazes.

 _If you think you’re beautiful, other people will too; if you think your valuable, other people will too. Confidence isn’t just a word, it is something visible; something that is visible to the naked eye and something that can be felt and it was something he needed_. Akihito recalled, but could not remember who those words belonged to. Perhaps it was his mother.

He needs to weep away the stains…

~~~~~

Akihito ducked shyly behind his guardian, flanked by two bodyguards as they stood in the middle of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world: Ginza.

The fountain behind them was surrounded with children reaching over the edge for the loose change in the water, and couples, tossing them in for a wish. But Akihito just buried his face in his savior’s, broad, muscular back.

No. Savior wasn’t the correct word. As of two month ago, Takeo Isamu had become his legal father, and he was now officially a Takeo. And the two of them really did look like father and son. They both had dark, soft hair, orbs as bright as the beams of the moon, and red elegant but succulent lips. The only difference between them was that Takeo wore everything with confidence. Standing beside his guardian, his features minimized down to nothing. He wasn’t even large enough to be a portion of this man’s shadow.

“Get outta there Akihito” Takeo said as he gently pulled Akihito out from behind him so the boy was facing the sea of people in the shopping center. “We’re here to buy things for you, how will you know what you want if you keep hiding behind me like that you little mouse?”

“…not…o..se…” Akihito muttered as a shy pout formed on his face.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with the muttering? Speak up” Takeo ordered.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize either. Now speak up” Takeo lectured like a parent to a child.

“Sorry…I mean I said…I’m not a mouse…” Akihito repeated a little louder and Takeo had to hold back a laugh.

“Of course not my little aneurysm” Takeo teased as he ruffed the young cherubic teen’s hair, but Akihito’s brows just furrowed deeper.  
“…not..a..ys…either…” he muttered to himself.

“I’ve spent thousands of yen to have people come to the estate to personally design and make clothes for you and you wear none of them. Now that we’re at Ginza, you’re free to choose what you want” Takeo said as he gave the boy a light little push forward but Akihito backed up.

“…Sorry…” Akihito said again and Takeo sighed. The boy was a broken record with his endless apologies, but that shy and stubborn behavior still caused him to chuckle.

Akihito wasn’t emotionally open. He knows the boy wants to be bouncing around and laughing. But a sudden change in behavior may feel weird and awkward. Akihito had his doors very closed, and Takeo wanted nothing more than to open them, but baby steps, the shrink suggested.

“Hey, I hear it’s quite popular to for kids to dye their hair nowadays…want to do that?” Takeo suggested. Akihito shrugged his shoulders, but the unspoken words in the boy’s eyes told him yes. “Do you want to get your hair cut too? Maybe spikey like those boys over there?” Takeo pointed to a couple of high school boys with their arms wrapped around their girlfriends waists. This time, Akihito gave a slight nod.His bangs hung over his eyes, even though he liked it that way, it had become a nuisance whenever he tried to read or eat.

Cutting the hair; didn’t it represent the cutting away of past weights? So the man or the woman could have a fresh, lighter start? If it was, then this would be a great first step.

Trailing behind his guardian, Akihito watched as his two feet walked forward left and right towards the salon. As they moved passed the crowds, many girls noticed them and they blushed as they stared at his guardian; indulging in him, including him into their flights of fancy. Akihito felt jealous of the charismatic man, but it couldn’t be helped.

The bell rung when the door swung open, signalling welcomed guest. Inside, rolls of women and fewer men sat in chairs with a magazine in their hands while they waited their turn for a cut or trim of the hair.

“This is a popular salon. The famous hairdresser “Hiro” works here. All these people are here waiting for him. You’d normally have to book an appointment a month in advance, but whenever he has free time, he usually squeezes in a couple of drop in customers” Takeo explained.

“B-but there’s at least twenty people waiting here…did we make an appointment?” Akihito asked as he clenched tightly onto Takeo’s shirt sleeve.

“No, but don’t worry about, I’ll go talk to Hiro and have him take care of you next” Takeo reassured.

“But that won’t be fair to everyone else would it? W-we should wait…”

“If you wait for something to come to you, it may never come” Takeo said as he left Akihito with his two guards while he went into the back.

“…Sorry for the trouble…” Akihito murmured under his breath.

Akihito watched mothers gossip and men chatting on their phones. The stylists in the salon worked the scissors with fast and accurate techniques. Akihito started at those sharp, pointed scissors as they clipped away at a woman’s hair. He watched as thick bundles of hair fell onto the marble floor and within minutes, the once long hair do magically turned into a cool, refreshing pixie cut. He personally preferred a long, straight mane on women. There was just something about running his fingers through those glossy, silky locks. It was sexy, it was beautiful, but he couldn’t explain exactly why he liked to look at females with long hair, just like why females can’t explain exactly why they lust over toned, muscular men. Perhaps these preferences are just instincts. Men and women have evolved to desire certain traits, even though many of these traits in this century have been magnified greatly by media.

The girls at the brothel all adorn beautiful long hair. Before bedtime, the girls would ask him to brush their hair for them and he gladly did. His mother also had enchanting black hair. When he was little, he loved to pull on it and play with it, hurting his mother’s scalp.

“Is this the little puppy?” a voice suddenly shook him out of his thoughts.

Looking up, Akihito saw Takeo, standing behind a young man in his late twenties wearing a V-neck shirt and a long scarf around his neck.  
“Yes” Takeo responded.

Suddenly, the women in the room all stood up and ran towards them, shouting out “Hiro! Hiro! Me! I need my hair cut!” but the pretty young man didn’t pay they any heed.

“Let’s go to my private room” Hiro shouted over the screaming women and began to squeeze his way out.

The guards held fifteen or so women back while Takeo led Akihito into the back of the salon. The women continued to shout for Hiro even after they were out of sight and Akihito felt bad for cutting in line.

“Still as popular as ever” Takeo pointed out with a chuckle.

“It gets pretty crazy…but it’s only at the salon though, I don’t have women screaming for me when I’m walking on the streets like a regular civilian” Hiro commented with a laugh. “Last time a fight broke out between these two high schoolers. All I said was “who is next” and the two started scratching and biting. One of them even broke out a small taser she had in her pocket.”

“Male elks fight to the death for the rights to mate with the female elk…when did you become a bitch?” Takeo said and Hiro laughed as he opened the door at the end of the hallway.

“Here we are, my own private workplace.”

“They expanded the place for you” Takeo noticed.

“Yea well…anyways, just the kid today?”

“Just him” Takeo replied as he pushed Akihito towards one of the two booths in the room. “Spikey and bleached…or whatever’s popular with kids his age.”

“J-pop, that’s the look everyone’s going for” Hiro responded as he studied Akihito’s features.

Akihito felt uncomfortable with those studious eyes, glazing over every wrinkle and every follicle on his face so he lowered his head to allow his bangs to drape over his face.

“Look up Akihito. Hiro’s just studying your features to decide the cut best suited for you” Takeo said as he walked up behind Akihito to gently jerk his slender jaw up so the famed stylist could continue with his observations.

“…Sorry…” Akihito said again and Takeo sighed.

After a few minutes of discomfort, the stylist finally backed away.

“He’s got the common features of a pretty boy, he’ll definitely break some hearts in the future” Hiro commented with a chuckle. “Very cute kid, you adopted him?”

“Yes”

“Ah”

Akihito flinched when Hiro reached out with his hand to grab his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact but nothing happened, and then he remembered, he was no longer in the past. Instead of slaps, the stylist ran his fingers all throughout his hair, ruffling and playing with it.

“How about some layers?” Hiro suggested as he continued to play with Akihito’s hair. “And I would say shorter in the back and longer in the front?”

“You’re the expert” Takeo replied.

“Takeo-san, the kid has a mouth and a tongue, let him speak for himself” Hiro complained before directing his attention back to the young teen. “Is that alright?”

Akihito shrugged his shoulders.

“Is that alright?” Hiro accented his words more directly to the boy this time.

“Y-yea…you’re the expert…”Akihito mumbled.

“Go lay over there so I can wash your hair” Hiro said.

Akihito looked over his shoulders at Takeo as he walked towards the station, wondering if the man was going to come with him, but the elder man didn’t move from his spot.

“Don’t be so tense, how about a scalp massage?” Hiro suggested as Akihito hesitantly climbed onto the reclining chair.

A small yelp escaped his lips when a shot of hot water hit his scalp. Then gentle fingers ran throughout his long locks, soaking every last strand, leaving none untouched.

“What shampoo do you use?” Hiro suddenly asked.

“What…?”

“Shampoo, what shampoo do you use? Your hair is very coarse, like wool almost” Hiro commented.

“I-I’m not sure…” Akihito replied meekly.

“The shampoo you’re using is burning your hair. Ask Takeo-san to pick up a bottle of Oasis, it’ll work much better for you than whatever you’re using right now. And I would also suggest a tub of Kao essential damage hair mask. Girls use it but you could use some too. It works well.” Hiro said as he began to work the shampoo into lather

Akihito closed his eyes as those magical fingers began to massage his scalp. He could hear the muted sounds of car horns from beyond the thick insulated walls with his heart at rest. Takeo was sitting in the waiting chair reading the paper and once he’s done with a page, he would turn it, which created that rich, crackling sound.

Hot water suddenly stimulated his senses once again, but this time, it wasn’t as much of a surprise. As the soapy water exited down the drain, Hiro toweled off his wet hair with a soft towel and led him towards one of the booths.

Akihito tried to hold back the cries as he felt a thin plastic comb tear into his tangled mane. Once his hair was all straightened out, he noticed that his hair was long enough to dangle pass his premature adam’s apple. He knew his hair was long, but was it this long?

Akihito’s eyes didn’t leave the mirror, except when Hiro stepped in front of him –blocking his view – to work on the front of his head, clipping away at his bangs as if they were the wings of a bird. His black hair fell onto the tiled floor and his lap inch by inch, and soon, he began to feel a cool breeze hit the back of his neck. It was chilly and he felt goose bumps form along his arms.

He squeezed his eyes shut as those scissors got dangerously close to his face as they cut away at his fringes even more. He slowly opened one eye and saw more dark wet hair fall onto his lap. As more and more pieces of hair accumulated onto the floor and his lap, light which was usually shielded by his fringes, began to penetrate through his half lidded eyes. The light was intense and clear and it made him uncomfortable. He felt his fringes touch his forehead and not his mouth or chin like before. He wanted to cover his face with his hands but Hiro was still in the way.

“Done” Hiro said after several more minutes passed by.

Akihito shyly lifted his head up towards the mirror. He felt uncomfortable opening his eyes to see the world that was usually covered up with his bangs, but once he saw his reflection, he’s eyes opened wide.

He had light hazel colored orbs; it looked silver almost with the shine of the sun. He almost had forgotten about that. It was something his mother loved; the color of his eyes. Black circles still encircled his eyes, but they were a lot less visible. But what surprised him the most was that he could no longer see the outline of his skeleton on his face. His body was no longer an empty shell. Flesh had accumulated over the months and his skin held a healthy glow.

“Wow…” Akihito silently whispered in surprise. The reflection he saw several months ago on that black, sleek car disappeared from his mind and was replaced with the reflection of a new face he had lost long ago.

His hand reached up to touch his warm, flushed cheeks and he noticed that his hand was warm too. They used to be cold and boney, but now, they were the opposite. He reached up and played with his short, black locks and felt the smoothness in his hair. Whatever that shampoo was, it was a miracle worker.

“You like it?” Hiro asked and Akihito nodded with his eyes still glued to the mirror.

Pleased with the reaction and his work, Hiro went over to the counter and picked up a few packages of hair dye. “Kids your age like the blonde color…I think this ash blonde would suit you” Hiro said and held out the sample color for Akihito to see.

“I like it” Akihito responded.

~~~~~

Akihito twirled his fresh new locks in his fingers as he trailed behind Takeo. It barely took any time at all for Hiro to magically change him from the dark purple night to a bright blue sky. And he felt the change too. His head no longer felt heavy as he lugged it around, it felt light and refreshed, and it gave him a surge of confidence.

Takeo had been chatting on his phone ever since they left the salon. From the older man’s expression, Akihito could tell it was a serious business call. He tried to listen in on the conversation but couldn’t follow. Takeo used some big words, and for someone who’s never had an education, it was no surprise he was at the back of the line.

During his time in Karuizawa, he would often read with the maids whenever the mayor left for official business in Yokohama. He would point out a word he didn’t recognize and the maids would help him, but those women were busy so he often had to self-teach himself. But now living with an educated man, Akihito realized what he had learned wasn’t nearly enough.

“Akihito, I’m going to be on the phone for a while, take Kujo with you and buy yourself something” Takeo said as he handed his wallet over to Akihito.

The wallet was thick with cash and cards, just like the one he snatched a little over a year ago when he first met the man. Now with the new wallet in hand, he felt a little guilty.

The towering bodyguard stood beside him, waiting for him to make up his mind on a destination, but Akihito didn’t know what he wanted. He’s already gotten enough clothes and he didn’t know how to work those fancy new technology devices. He’s got more than enough books to read at home…maybe a camera…? Akihito pondered as the thought slipped unconsciously into his mind. He used to have several, but it didn’t feel right to spend Takeo’s money on such an expansive item; however, it wouldn’t hurt to look.

“I want to look at some cameras…” Akihito said and the silent bodyguard led the way.

Takeo watched as Akihito disappeared among the crowds before turning his attention back to his phone and chatted away once again.

“Sorry Rai, there was a couple of noisy kids just now and I couldn’t hear you” Takeo apologized to the other individual.

 _“What are you doing in Ginza anyway? What about that task I left you with?”_ the other side spoke.

“Everything has already been secured and I’m just doing some shopping in Ginza” Takeo replied.

_“In Ginza? Now that’s rare, since when did you go to such rowdy places? Well, whatever, this is perfect. My son is in the area. He’s meeting with an informant in a bakery south of Ginza, I want you to rendezvous with him and pick up some information.”_

“Of course.” And with that, the lines went dead.

~~~~~

Akihito spun the Canon T4 model in his hands over and over, taking in the details that went into making the fine instrument. He played with the buttons and marvelled at the high definition screen. This camera was on a completely different level compared to his old disposable cameras he had back at the brothel. This camera was clearly for a professional and he wasn’t worthy of holding it in his amateur hands.

“Akihito-sama, would you like me to get one of the workers to wrap one up for you?” Kujo, his guard, asked.

Shaking his head, Akihito placed the display model back onto its stand and walked away to look at the cheaper models. None of the devices were below ten thousand yen. What would Takeo think of him if he spent such a huge amount in one day? He was given permission of pick out something for himself, but such a luxurious item was out of the question. He knows courtesy; he wasn’t a lawless brat that took everything for granted. He knows his place, and right now, it wasn’t his place to pick up such an expensive item for himself. He hasn’t earned his rights to that just yet.

“Akihito-sama, I’m sure Takeo-sama wouldn’t mind” Kujo interrupted again.

“No, I couldn’t…” Akihito replied quietly. “And don’t call me –sama. I’m not a Takeo, I’m just a regular person, like everybody else.”

Kujo shook his head. “That is incorrect. You have been acknowledged by the head of the Takeo family, you are no longer the old Takaba Akihito. Blood relative or now, you are now an honest-to-goodness member of the Takeo family. From now on, your riches and luxuries will be limitless.”

Akihito understood, and yet he didn’t understand the words spoken to him. “What if I’m not suited for such a title…? I-I don’t think I am…”

“Suitable or not, you have already been acknowledge by the head himself. What you may not be suitable for is the title of heir or head of the family. But that is not for Takeo-sama to decide.”

Akihito looked up confusingly. “What does that mean? You make it sound like Takeo-san doesn’t have the rights to choose his future heir…”

“He doesn’t” Kujo confirmed. “That decision is left for those whose ranks tower over Takeo-sama’s. Takeo-sama cannot even choose his own wife. He is allowed to have mistresses and children, but the position of formal wife and future heir is left for those above.”

Akihito shuttered. “I didn’t know such old traditions still existed…what about me? Takeo-san had a choice when it came to me right?”

“He does. However, if the family Takeo-sama serves finds you unsuitable, they have the rights to remove you from the family.”

“What do you mean unsuitable?” Akihito asked in a concerned tone. He was finally starting to adjust and now he finds out he could be kicked out if he makes a mistake?

“Please do not worry Akihito-sama. When I say unsuitable, I meant treason or dishonouring the name. You have nothing to worry about.”  
“Can you give me an example?” Akihito pleaded quietly.

Kujo can see the young child needed some sort of reassurance. He had realized too late that he had spoken out of line. Akihito wasn’t supposed to find out about all these formalities until much later. Takeo had wanted him to learn them bit by bit as to not scare off the boy. However, he had already dug his grave too deep, and he was prepared for the punishment for running off at the mouth.

“Stealing another man’s property without a formal fight for ownership” Kujo responded with an example.

“Oh…” Akihito responded with a sigh of relief. He knew better than to steal something that valuable away. He knew his boundaries and limits. “I didn’t realize there were so much rules and customs…why do I feel like I’m riding on a wild tiger’s back and can’t get off?”

A moment of silence passed between them before Kujo spoke out again. “Akihito-sama, for those who serve under him, we do not have the privilege of calling Takeo-sama by his given name. It would be a grave crime. You do not serve him; you are his legal son on paper. Calling him by his family name sends the message that you do not respect or accept Takeo-sama’s acknowledgment and love. Takeo-sama will definitely make up for all the wrong that had been dealt on you, so please at least accept this.”

“I-I know but…and…and I feel bad, but It feels weird to call him dad…”

“You do not need to call him ‘dad,’ Takeo-sama would be happy if you addressed him with his given name.”

“I don’t think I have the rights…”

“You position may just be that of his adopted son, but it is higher than any of his servants, subjects and most of his relatives. If you don’t have the rights, no one will.”

Akihito gave a slight, hesitant nod.

“One more thing…”

Akihito lifted his head and looked into the guard’s eyes waiting for the man to finish the sentence.

“Stop saying sorry.”

“I always say the wrong thing…” Akihito replied in a meek tone.

“No you do not” Kujo reassured.

“Then what should I say…?”

“The opposite.”

~~~~~

After sending out a text to Kujo informing him to bring Akihito to the bakery located just outside of the shopping district, Takeo turned his attention back to the young man sitting across from him, sipping a cup of black coffee.

“It’s been several years since I last saw you. You sure have grown into quite the magnificent young man. How old are you now?” Takeo asked as he took a sip of his own tea.

“Only twenty-six” the young man replied.

“Twenty-six!” Takeo replied back with surprise. “You young’uns sure grow up fast; I guess that’s expected seeing as the grey hairs on my head are increasing exponentially.”

“Not fast enough.”

“What’s the rush to grow old? You have the rest of your life to be old and wise. Twenty-six is a good age; it’s also a good age for marriage. Have your first kid before thirty…that’s the usual plans.”

“I have no interest in such matters” the younger man replied.

“Well, there’s no rush, but children is something you definitely should have” Takeo suggested as he took another sip of his tea.

Just then, a man in a baker’s hat and white apron came out from the back of the store, with a brown folder in his hand. The man quietly strolled over to their booth and placed the folder onto the table.

Taking the folder in hand, Takeo looked through it. It contained several dozen pictures of men, and each and every one of their faces circled and labelled.

“Is this all?” Takeo asked before passing the folder over to the twenty-six year old man for confirmation.

“Yes” the baker responded.

The two men looked at each other and nodded. The information seemed legit. The younger man pulled out a thick brown envelope and handed it over to the baker. The baker opened the brown packaged and quickly estimated the amount of money inside before disappearing into the back once again. 

“So when does your father want these men swimming with the fishes?” Takeo asked.

“’By the end of the month” the younger man replied and Takeo let out a weary sigh.

“I’m getting too old for this…your father is a real slave driver…”

Without saying another word, the younger man took the folder and handed it over to his assistant.

“I will have Kirishima contact you with the list in a week.”

“Is the little master working you to death too Kirishima?” Takeo chuckled. “Like father like son.”

The bespectacled assistant gave his glass a slight push. “It is my job” came the simple reply.

“Stiff as ever. How about I take you out for a drink and loosen you up just like before?” Takeo suggested.

The assistant gave his glasses another push. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Tch…You were so cute before. Just a few years with an Asami has turned you into this?”

“Stop it Takeo, you’re making Kirishima uncomfortable. He is my man now,” the twenty-six year old replied with a smirk on his face, visibly enjoying his strict assistant’s slight discomfort.

“As you wish little master” Takeo replied in a slightly mocking tone.

Suddenly, the bakery’s door swung opened to reveal the towering Kujo. The guard looked around and when his eyes landed on his boss, he made his way over with Akihito in tow.

Takeo smiled. “What did you buy?”

Akihito held up bag. “A t-shirt and a pair of jeans” he replied, holding up the bag for his guardian to see.

“Is that all? You could have spent more, I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Sorr – I mean, yea, and thank you…” Akihito thanked shyly.

Takeo was quite taken aback. Has the boy finally decided to come out of his shell?

“Takeo-sama, who is this boy?” Kirishima interrupted. Curiously studying the boy with his careful eyes.

“Ah! My apologies. His name is Akihito, Takeo Akihito. We met about a year ago, and it was quite the meeting too” Takeo explained with a chuckle as he remembered the pick pocket event. “He’s a homeless orphan so I adopted him. Akihito, this man here is Kirishima Kei, and this young man here is Asami Ryuichi” Takeo introduced.

Akihito scanned the two men with his eyes and then looked away.

“Adopted Takeo-sama? Is it proper for someone of your status to go around adopting anyone you wish?”

“Now now Kirishima, there is nothing wrong with offering a poor child a home.”

“Then may I point out his lack of manners? Being named a Takeo, he should at least know the proper greetings required.”

Akihito clenched his fists tightly into the shopping bag as he listened to the conversation. This glassed man clearly disapproves of him; believes he isn’t worthy to be by Takeo Isamu’s side, but what bothered him the most was, this man didn’t even bother to talk to him – get to know him – before rejecting him.

“He’s had a rather harsh past and had just started to recover. I don’t want to scare him off with all those customs and regulations.”

Seeing the defeated look on the glass man’s face gave Akihito a surge of victory. He may have been a trapped little mouse up until now, but even a trapped mouse has its pride.

“What about his background? He could be a spy sent from another organization. He could prove to be dangerous. Without further investigation, I cannot trust this child.”

Takeo opened his mouth to speak up for Akihito but before he even got the chance, another voice intervened.

“I lived in Karuizawa as a sex slave before I escaped to Yokohama. Isamu-san felt sorry for me and saved me. Do I still sound dangerous?” Akihito blurted out. He felt himself shaking after his sudden outburst. When was the last time he had spoken with such vigour? The excitement and nervousness all clumped into his shaky body and voice.

“You!” Kirishima blurted out but quickly regained his composure. “Takeo-sama’s name isn’t for someone of your status.”

“Are you stupid? Isamu-san clearly said I was his adopted son, not a servant boy or pleasure toy but someone he had _acknowledged_ , so I have every right” Akihito boasted.

“You brat…!” Kirishima grunted out and subconsciously took a small step towards the boy, and Akihito took a step back.  
“What? You’re gonna hit me? Don’t you know your manner? If you wanna hit a dog, the least you should do is see who his owner is!” Akihito cried out as he glared at the assistant.

Takeo barked out a laugh, but quickly covered his mouth when the fuming Kirishima glared at him.

“Takeo-sama, please talk to the boy!” Kirishima complained.

Turning around to face the newly blossomed child, Takeo raised one hand in the air and held it there. “Good job Akihito.”

Akihito smiled back vibrantly and slapped his hand against his guardian’s hand for a sounded high five.

Before Kirishima’s last fuse popped off, the other man – who up until now has been keeping his silence –spoke. “Kirishima, we are leaving, I just have a few things to wrap up here. Go wait for me by the car.”

Much to his dismay, Kirishima had no choice by to obey the order. Although still angry, the assistant maintained his composure as he walked pass Akihito and out the bakery doors.

Once the doors shut, the man named Asami Ryuichi turned his attention back to Takeo, amusement clearly dancing in his eyes. “You shouldn’t tease him so much; he might come to hate you.”

“His angry face is his cutest” Takeo chuckled.

“It’s always around you that he’s never able to keep his composure.”

“Good, he should loosen up once in a while” Takeo commented as he finished off the last of his tea before turning his attention back to Akihito. “Akihito, this is Asami Ryuichi, say hello properly.”

Akihito squirmed on spot for a moment while the well groomed man stood in front of him, waiting. He sneaked a quick glance up and frowned. Why should he lower his head for this guy? He looked conceited and overly arrogant. The worst was how this man was staring down at him, not lowering his head to stare at him. But what bothered Akihito the most was how dashing, how tall, how dominant and how upright this man was. Even more so than Takeo is some ways and it made Akihito jealous and envious. He wanted to be like that.

“Nice to meet you” Akihito said in a meek but resentful tone, followed by a quick dip of the head. When he looked up, the man was still staring at him – waiting – and so was Takeo, and Akihito realized they were expecting a nice low bow, all the way to the waist – a ninety degree angle bow. But he didn’t want to do it. What was wrong with just a simple hello, why did he need to bow?

After a few more seconds, he felt a gentle nudge from Kujo. He looked up at the guard, who gave him a stern look and a slight wag of the chin, telling him to just get it over with. Giving in, Akihito huffed out a breath and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Asami-san.”

Straightening back up, Akihito started into the rare gold-like orbs, as if he was challenging it. He didn’t know why, probably because he felt threatened by this man’s good looks and power, surging out of every pore. It was instincts, just as a women would feel threatened when a curvy girl adorning a skimpy outfit was standing beside her man. Humans are animals after all.

“Cute kid you got here. Kirishima sure met his nemesis today” Asami commented before turning his attention back to Takeo. “You will receive the list within this week.”

Turning towards the door, Asami suddenly gave Akihito a pat on the head before heading out.

Akihito watched as the stranger got into his sleek BMW and drove away before turning around to face his guardian.

“Why did you suddenly decide to call me Isamu?” Takeo questioned as he gently pulled Akihito towards him.

“Am I allowed?” Akihito asked.

“You’re more than welcome to…” Takeo replied with a warm smile. “Kujo, go order one of everything on the menu; I want Akihito to try them all.”

Kujo bowed and headed towards the counter.

“You don’t have to!” Akihito cried out, but when he met Takeo’s kind eyes, he remembered what Kujo have said to him. “T-thank you…”  
Takeo smiled and patted the boy’s head. “That was quite the show you stirred up.”

“Sorr – I mean…who were they?”

Takeo let out a sigh and moved into the booth to allow Akihito to sit down beside him. “Asami Ryuichi is the son of my old acquaintance…who’s also my boss in a way. The other kid is Kirishima Kei. He was around twenty when I picked him up and hired him as one of my men. You could say I was like a father to him. He’s a good kid once you get to know him.”

“I don’t really get along with that type…” Akihito said.

“Haha…don’t worry, he was just jealous…”

“Of what?” Akihito asked.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing that concerns you” Takeo replied with a smile until he noticed something shiny in Akihito’s hoodie pocket. “What do you have there?” the older man pointed out.

Akihito looked down to see what his guardian was referring to and a small, sly smile formed on his face when he realized what it was. He pulled it out and showed the shiny silver Rolex to Takeo.

“Where did you get that?” Takeo questioned as he took the expensive watch from Akihito to examine it. 

“I took it from four eyes before he left the bakery…I don’t like him…” Akihito said.

“You little imp…” Takeo chuckled as he rolled the Rolex between his fingers. Before Kirishima began working for Asami Ryuichi, he had bought this diamond encrusted watch as a going away present for the hardworking assistant. Takeo could already see Kirishima nerves’ breaking down when the assistant discovers his most valuable possession was now missing.


	6. Unbearing Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters/ideas are properties of yamane ayano. recognizable ideas from hong lou Meng and pearl princess 
> 
> Warning: unedited, au, oc, ooc
> 
> Chapter inspired by hong lou meng and pearl princess  
> PS. The following excerpt is from Du Fu’s poem “Alone in Her Beauty” The translations are from The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse (edited by A.R. Davis)

**

Chapter 5 - Unbearing Kindness

**

“When morning glories furl at night, when the mandarin ducks lie side by side, and all he can see is the smile of the new love, while the old love weeps unheard.” The long, black haired woman sighed as she stared at the bare branches outside of her room.

“What a beautifully sad poem madam” said a younger woman as she took the half empty bowls of food off of the dinner table and placed them onto a silver cart.

“Do you know of it?” the long haired woman asked, shifting her attention from the window to the maid.

The serving girl paused in her task and smiled. “A lowly servant like me could never dare to have such flights of fancy.”

The long haired woman looked out the window once more. “You’re allowed to dream…to desire… ”

A moment of silence passed before the long haired woman spoke again. “It’s a poem by DuFu…Alone in Her Beauty he named it. It’s a poem about the heartless behaviors of human beings. ”

“It sounds like such a beautiful poem…how can it be heartless?”

“Because humans – men or women – are capable of heartlessly discarding an old love while warmly welcoming a new love. But do you know what is funny? We humans pride ourselves in being the higher level species even though savage animals are able to remain in longer and more affectionate relationships than us. Even if these animals are fickle, it is for the sake of their population…whereas we humans just drown ourselves in insatiable lust.”

The serving girl gasped as she suddenly realized the meaning behind her lady’s words. “Please don’t give up my lady, as long as there is life, there is hope, I’m sure the master has not forgotten about you. Your place in his heart is forever imprinted. ”

“A man’s love is as light as the touches of a dragonfly on water…whereas a woman’s can be as unmoveable as the mountains itself…”

The long haired woman smiled. “Thank you…but you are still too young to realize that an indelible position in a man’s heart isn’t enough at all for a woman. What we women need is an irreplaceable position. ” The lady sighed. “Even though he no longer has an official wife, he still has several legitimate mistresses, and that is only counting the ones within the estate, who knows how many more he has outside of these walls…but what I desire to see is no longer him…what I desire to meet again is someone I have lost a long time ago... ”

~~~~~

“What’s that over there?” Akihito cried out as he pointed to a small building at the back of the largest zen garden he has ever (only) seen.  
“That is a pavilion, mainly for tea breaks” Kujo replied back. “Would you like to take a look?”

Akihito shook his head and continued to hop around the garden. “What’s with this place? It’s like a mini palace…there’s little houses everywhere!”

Kujo let out a soft chuckle as he watched the boy explore his home in such an innocent, child like manner. After the withdrawal, the boy never went outside unless absolutely necessary – omitting his fear. But now, he was healed, body and soul, and was finally exploring his new home like any healthy teenage child.

Not long after his interaction with the outside world, Akihito had opened himself up. No one knows how or why he suddenly decided on the change, but they were glad the spirit was now visible in those big shiny eyes. However, Takeo had an answer while no one else did. Ever since their encounter one year ago – when Akihito snatched Takeo’s ox leather wallet right out of the man’s hands and ran – Takeo had noticed several beautiful virtues within those minutes of encounter with the young child. His innocence, purity, enthusiasm...and the quality that moved his the most was the young child’s cheerfulness and happiness. No matter how disastrous and hopeless the situation was, the boy was always filled with laughter and the vitality of life. This, Takeo was able to prove by the few smiles and giggles he had received from the boy during the period of withdraw. These qualities within Akihito were truly precious, and Takeo believes that it is these qualities that helped the boy overcome all of the hardships within his life. Now that the two of them had met once again, Takeo wanted nothing more than to preserve Akihito’s valuable features and prevent them from disappearing.

Kujo himself had thought this young child was not worthy of such praise from his master. The boy he had witnessed had given up not only on life, but also on himself. And to Kujo, this was the lowest of the low; however, his perspective changed instantly when he witnessed Akihito’s catfight with Kirishima Kei. He had thought the boy would once again go hide behind Takeo, lower his head so his hair would shield his face, shed a tear or two and have Takeo fight his battles for him, but he was wrong. As soon as Akihito opened his mouth to cheekily reveal his identity, he felt the wind slap him right across his face. And the little stunt the brat pulled right before the strict assistant left had him apologizing to the young boy for underestimating him.

“Why is there such a small bridge here when there’s hardly any water around?”

Looking up, Kujo watched as the young teen curiously studied the architecture of the bridge. “That is a garden bridge, it is for decoration” Kujo explained.

“What a waste of perfectly good wood” Akihito commented, tapping on the railing to make sure it was made with pure wood.

“Akihito-sama” Kujo called out and Akihito visibly cringed at the honorific added to the end of his name.

“Akihito-sama” Kujo said again, louder this time, to make sure the boy understood his position. “There is something I need to inform you.”

“Again…?” Akihito whined. “You’re awfully long winded sometimes you know that? Didn’t you say a mouthful just the other day? What else is there?”

Yes, again. Kujo had already received sixty lashes on his back from a thin, bamboo cane for his unnecessary outburst. His back still hurt, but wearing a constricting suit, plus pounds of bandages to prevent the blood from seeping through his clothes was truly uncomfortable. He had a choice, the legs, the back or the ass. As a bodyguard, the legs were out of the question. As an adult man, the ass was too humiliating; he wasn’t a masochist. But if he had known of his current discomfort, he would have chosen his ass; at least the skin back there was thicker. However, this time, he had received an order (permission) to inform Akihito of his future.

“Please do not stress over this, your health is still weak” Kujo reassured. “Takeo-sama had informed me that he would like for you to learn all the family relations within one month.”

“What…?” Akihito cried out softly in mild distress.

“That is not all. He would also like for you to start learning high class etiquettes – slowly. For instances, a pair of torn jeans and a graphic tee-shirt cannot be worn in the presence of guests. All members of the elite families detest those who behave frivolously. So in their presence, you must learn the proper behavior. Takeo-sama realizes this is not your calling, but you only need to pretend until they leave. You are allowed to act however you wish within this estate, but in the presence of guests, you must abide by the customs.”

“What the heck…I don’t understand…” Akihito pouted, only to be cut off by Kujo.

“You must know the rules before you want to fool.”

Akihito let out a weary sigh.

“Language is also very important. You must know high class speech. Takeo-sama is very well versed so his expectations are quite high when it comes to education. He has hired you a private teacher, and starting tomorrow, you will began classes. And please do not stress; the teacher has been informed; Takeo-sama has already told him you have received no schooling experience in the past.”

“What!” Akihito cried out again in distress. “Are you kidding me? Where’s all this coming from all of a sudden? Why? I mean…oh my god…I’m done for…If I knew I have to learn all these useless crap, I would rather not be a Takeo.”

“Ahem” Kujo cleared his throat in warning. “You’re spewing nonsense again. “Would rather not be a Takeo” that phrase is taboo from now on.”

“…” Akihito pouted for a moment. “But I can still go outside whenever I want right?”

It seems being out around civilization had enticed the boy too much. Akihito has constantly been asking to go outside ever since their trip to Ginza the other day. The outside world has become too much of a temptation for the young boy, and this too was a minor problem.

“It’s not impossible for you to go outside, but you cannot go during this period of time. Takeo-sama is very busy taking care of matters regarding your adoption. Not to mention, there are still many rules yet to be learned” Kujo explained.

“Wait, what do you mean adoption matters? Did his boss disapprove of it?” Akihito asked. He recalled Kujo’s words from a few days ago, and he felt his heart panicking a bit.

“Nothing of the sort, it is just that there are many families who wants to meet you – judge you. That is why Takeo-sama is in such a hurry for you to learn everything. To be favored by Takeo-sama is truly an honor, but it is also very dangerous. Once you have been formally introduced to the families, there will be many eyes watching you. And almost every one of them will be filled with jealously and envy. If you are not careful enough, your life may end without you even knowing what happened or why. Just a little misstep could lead you to your demise. If that time should ever come, even Takeo-sama might not be able to protect you. Right now, you are untouchable, which is why everyone will be trying to weed out your flaws and use it against you. That is why you have to learn your parts. Takeo-sama cannot protect you twenty four-seven. But learning these etiquettes could help you greatly. No one rebukes over the top courtesy, understand?” Kujo explained while a worried and scared expression spread slowly across the young boy’s face. But yanking a tooth out was faster than slowly prying it loose.

“I don’t understand any of this. Is it that serious?” Akihito stressed and Kujo nodded.

“Being in an elite family isn’t just lobsters and truffles. The luxury is the sunny side of the situation. The dark side is the jealously, the enemies and so much more.”

“What do you mean jealously? Ohhh…you mean like that four eyed gigolo the other day at the bakery?”

Kujo barked out a laugh but quickly covered it up with a fake cough. The boy had hit the nail on the head, but still, the image of Kirishima being a common trollop was absolutely absurd…and hilarious.

“Kirishima-san is not a gigolo…he is Asami Ryuichi-sama’s right hand man. A confidant.” Kujo corrected.

“Oh…so he’s an important figure?” Akihito said out loud to himself, obviously still annoyed with the four eyed assistant’s remark the other day. “And hold on a minute, what formal introduction? I still don’t understand. When is it?” Akihito began asking as Kujo’s words finally began to soak into his brain.

“…In one month's time.”

~~~~~

“Isamu, you’d better explain your intentions to me. The rumour as of now is that you’ve adopted a prostitute into your home? Are you trying to become the joke of Japan?”

Takeo chuckled lightly at the accusation stated. “It’s nothing that serious Rai, you’re over thinking the situation. The child is harmless and was abandoned so I offered him my home. Won’t our image improve if the public knew of our generosity? After all, men are not related to only blood relatives.”

“Harmless? From Kirishima’s report, the child bites and steals. Kirishima told me the boy is very uncouth…a wild child.” Asami Raiju said, leaning back into his chair while recalling the secretary’s words.

“Haha, Kei told on me? That little brat…” Takeo said with a chuckle.

“Don’t be angry with him, he’s just thinking of your wellbeing” the elder Asami said.

“And he should also know that ever household has its own laws just like every country has its own, and unsolicited advice is highly irrelevant...Anyways, you need not worry much Rai. Akihito is indeed very…erratic and recalcitrant, but he’s also very brisk and vivacious” Takeo explained. “Akihito’s problem is that he never passes his words through his brain before speaking. He just tends to blurt out whatever is at the tip of his tongue; which unfortunately, tends to offend sometimes. But you know…this habit of his is one of the things I treasure most about the child.”

“Oh? How so?” Raiju asked, curious for an explanation.

“Even though his life has been a dark one, it has made him very free. He often speaks his mind and because he is so outspoken all the time, the two of us tend to have the most sincere conversations” Takeo explained. “People like us have long grown used to hearing ornamented and twisted words. Such straightforward words are something we can’t hear usually. So being able to hear some genuine words now and then is really priceless to me” Takeo finished with a sigh.

“I see…I must agree. Every day, I hear vows of empty devotion, empty promises, empty…..everything. I could use some genuine words too…” Raiju trailed off momentarily, but soon got back on track. “I must ask about his past before I forget. I trust you did your research? Suddenly becoming an adopted son to the Takeo family would certainly spark the interest of the public. Everyone will want to know of his completely story. And also, even if his “frankness” is something you hold precious, will he be able to become a good model to the name?”

“Akihito is only fourteen; you should know that is the start of the rebellious period, so it is still premature to talk about the boy’s far future. He had just recently come out of his shell and I don’t want to scare him back into it with all these topics of elite behavior” Takeo said.  
The elder Asami nodded in agreement. “You speak so highly of him, I’m very eager to meet the boy. Ryuichi told me the child was amusing.”

“Ryuichi said that?” Takeo said. Surprise slightly evident in his tone for he had known the younger Asami was not one to praise anyone.

“Yes he did” Raiju replied with a smile. “I trust he will be ready in one short month?”

“I’d be satisfied if he can put up a good act by the end of the month. I would have given him more time, but I’ve got some eager families knocking on my door.” Takeo said with a chuckle. “By the way, how is your old flame?” he asked, suddenly changing the topic.

Raiju let out a snort. “Feh…which one?”

“You’re second wife, Kasumi…”

A moment of silence passed through the room.

“Same as always. She shuts herself in her own private quarters with her maid thinking about the bastard she gave birth to” Raiju said in a tired tone. “Still refuses to let go of the dead.”

“……I never asked the details, but how did that infant die?” Takeo asked, approaching the question carefully.

“When my men found where that wretch of a woman hid the infant, it was already died. According to the doctor, it was deformed and had a severe heart defect. It died within hours of its birth.”

“Tragic…” Takeo commented.

“Feh…what do you expect of a child created out of lust – adultery. I guess you can call it punishment of the gods” Raiju said.

“You still haven’t forgiven her for what she’s done?”

“The wench betrayed me” Raiju said.

“You can’t really blame her for taking another man into her life. You still go around taking countless numbers of women into your bed chamber.”

“The past is the past. It has already been over a decade; the statute of limitations has long passed. Besides, I’ve long grown tired in involving myself in women’s battles” Raiju said as he rested his head on his fist.

Takeo sighed. “Our youth has been stolen from us, and nothing in this world can bring it back. Just look at Ryuichi. In a blink of an eye, he is now a young adult and we’re old men. Remember when we were twenty six Rai?” Takeo chuckled lightly, “Everything….time, sky, earth, the universe. They are really becoming closer and closer…”

“But it seems you are using this Akihito to bring back your youth” Raiju commented.

“He does keep me busy alright. Our status has given us a feeling of superiority since birth. A women I was with a few months ago asked me if I ever thought about her feelings. She said I always place my own heart high above everyone else’s, and she asked me if I was still accustomed to ordinary human emotions. That question really hit a nerve…how was I supposed to answer her?”

“Heh...you got me. I don’t know either, but perhaps things are better left unclear…” Raiju replied back. “It is true though…some men do sore too high into the sky.”

“But Akihito…as pure as ice and as beautiful as jade… The innocence he possesses brought out my “human nature” as one of my confidants pointed out. That boy is so filled with life. No matter how dark the situation is, he always managed to find his way out. The most moving part about him is his cheeriness – I always brag about it – And I believe it is this quality of his that had protected him through everything. Such a valuable trait…I need to make sure it never disappears.”

Raiju nodded. “I’m starting to become jealous of this boy’s vibrancy” he chuckled.

“At our old age, what’s more important than a life that has taste?”

“Just remember Isamu. Even though it is the heavens that decide the outcomes, it is mankind who weaves the path.”

~~~~~

“Akihito-sama kneeling is a matter of protocol, and it is especially important as a form of respect towards your elders. I realize Takeo-sama said you only need to pretend. However, pretending means you need to show outward devotion and hide inner opposition. Right now, you are not showing outward devotion, but showing inner opposition” the young female teacher said as she watched Akihito throw his head only the floor once more like a sack of rice.

“I hate kneeling or kowtow or any of those things. A human’s knees are meant for motion, not kneeling! Don’t you know the knees are the most stressed bones in the human body? It carries all of our weight so we need to take special care of it. All this kneeling only helps the wearing process!” Akihito argued back.

“Akihito-sama, kneeling is a matter of protocol” the teacher repeated. “Other customs you may be able to skim by, but bowing, kneeling and kowtow are procedures you must learn properly.”

“What’s with everyone? If we keep this up, we’ll all become cripples in no time!” Akihito cried out, causing the maids, servants and guards around the room to giggle and chuckle at his comment.

“Akihito-sama, I realize you are very reluctant to learn these etiquettes, but this is my order and I dare not go against. If Akihito-sama is willing to learn properly, then the day will go by faster and you will rid of me faster” the stiff woman said.

“Argg!!!” Akihito whined and threw his head onto the floor once again.

“Akihito-sama, that is incorrect. Your hands must be turned towards each other and placed in front of you at an angle. Your forehead must touch the back of your hand, not the floor. Also, your knees must be together and your back must be straight before you bend down.”

“Enough already!” Akihito shouted. “You enjoy seeing me like this don’t you? How many times do I have to do this?”

“I do not gain any types of enjoyment from this exercise; I am an employee following orders from my employer. And my orders were to teach you the proper etiquettes until you get them right” the teacher said.

“Isamu-san said I only need to put up a _façade_. I only need to _pretend_ to know all these high class things. When the time comes, I’ll be able to “show outward devotion and hide inner opposition”” Akihito pointed out, putting emphasis on certain words.

“Even acting requires hard work. You must know these high class customs in order to convince your audience. If you want to break the rules, you must know them first. Now, Akihito-sama, please try again.”

Akihito groaned out in frustration. He has had enough. Ever since Kujo informed him of Takeo’s future plans for him, from morning to night, it was nothing but learn learn learn. Today was only the second day, but god was he tired.

The private teacher Takeo hired for him – Harashi-sensei – was a fun guy at least, but has very high expectations. _A life without knowledge is not worth living_ was the first few words the elder man uttered. Their first few hours together were of Akihito reading out loud from _The Tale of Genji_. He didn’t know eighty percent of the words written in the darn book, but Harashi has informed him that if he was able to read through that whole work, he would be able to recognize almost any words he would come across in the future. But the piece literature was boring. Sure it might be praised as the first novel ever written, but he didn’t understand a single thing going on in the darn book. He had read the first page over twenty times and he still didn’t understand it.

After schooling was lunch, only for Akihito to find out it was another lesson in disguise. Throughout the entire meal, the woman teacher was there beside him, telling him the way he eats is wrong. _Now how in all the heavens on earth can he eat wrong!?_ He had inwardly screamed to himself.

 _“The chopsticks must make almost to no sound when placed down. When you hold the chopsticks, they must not intercept each other, they must be parallel. Also, no sounds should be heard while you are eating. I understand that the slurping sound is a sign to the chief that his prepared meal is delicious and appreciated, but Akihito-sama’s status is high, therefore, cannot make any sounds while eating”_ Akihito recalled the words spoken to him yesterday as the teacher waited for him to kowtow again.

“Akihito-sama” the woman’s harsh voice called out again. “Please bow again.”

Akihito breathing became rapid as frustration filled his stomach. “Enough enough enough!!!” he shouted. “I don’t want to do this anymore! I’m tired! My back is sore! And I haven’t had a decent meal since yesterday! I’m not doing this anymore!”

“Not doing what anymore?” a deep rich baritone voice suddenly came from behind, startling everyone in the room.

The tall dark stranger stepped into the room and every guard and servant slowly lowered their hands with grace and perfection to respectfully greet the new comer. Akihito didn’t see any of them falling to their knees…

“These rules” Akihito pouted.

“I hear you have only one month's time to perfect these regulations. You’ve only just started and you’re quitting already?” the stranger asked.

“Hmph” Akihito stuck his tongue out at the new comer and turned away.

“I’ve been told it is not expected of you to learn these regulations perfectly…and that it is just for show. But a proper greeting is still expected. You should at least take the initiative to greet me shouldn’t you?”

“Why should I?” Akihito snapped back with a sour look on his face. He could tell the servants and guards in the room were beginning to look uncomfortable with his behavior, but he hated to be submissive, although the stranger seemed more amused than insulted with his attitude.

The stranger’s mouth twitched upward momentarily and he raised one brow at the childish act of rebellion. If it was a reason the boy wanted, then he shall give him good ones. “Firstly, I am your senior by twelve years, and secondly, the Takeo family is my family’s confidant. In fact, there are no other families closer to my family then this family; however, that doesn’t change the fact that the Takeos’ serve under us. Do you need any more reasons?”

Akihito didn’t need any more reasons; the first reason was good enough, although the second one made sense, he still didn’t like it. He has been taught proper greetings before by his mother, but back then, her teachings were gentle and fun, not harsh and boring.

He felt a hard nudge from his teacher, still kneeing beside him, but he ignored her. He then caught Kujo’s eyes – who has become his shadow – staring hard and serious at him. The guard’s pupils moved back and forth between him and the new comer telling him to do it quick. Still wearing his inner opposition on his face, Akihito let out an exasperated sigh. Propping himself onto his knees once more, Akihito slapped his hands down beside him and threw his forehead onto the floor – like a sack of rice. “Your _humble subject_ greets Asami- _san_ ” Akihito greeted with clear mockery.

Asami arched an eye brow – a visible smirk present on his face – as he watched the boy force himself into a proper greeting. “You do know your forehead isn’t supposed to touch the ground, and your two hands are supposed to be placed in front of you, not beside you don’t you?”

“I know I know I know!!!” Akihito cried out in annoyance. “That’s all I’ve been hearing ever since lunch!”

“Then why are you purposely doing it wrong? If you just submit yourself to the lessons, and exercise them without flaw, you would rid of your teacher much faster. Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation for both you and your poor teacher over there?” Asami asked as he leaned his weight against the wall. “You are allowed you feign compliance, but you shouldn’t show it. I suggest that you just give in and get it over with before you embarrass Takeo publicly.”

Akihito glared up. “What do you mean embarrass him?”

“Takeo’s name has already been soiled slightly with the rumours of a mysterious adopted son…perhaps soiled is too strong a word…In any case, there has been talk about your standing in the Takeo household. A young boy – whose background is a complete mystery – suddenly gets adopted into one of Japan’s elite families has stirred up several tasteless gossip. Most families in East Asia still stress the importance of lineage. Call us old fashion, but the class system still exist visibly within our half of the world. Our lineage that was passed down by our noble ancestors has been kept pure ever since, so you tell me what the adoption of a commoner boy would do to Takeo’s reputation.” Asami explained as he walked towards the boy kneeling improperly on the floor. “In two months’ time, every eyes of every elite head will be on you, studying you, judging you, picking on every little problem you make, so you can imagine what kinds of gossip will float around about your guardian if you can’t even pay a proper respect to your seniors.”

Akihito grew quiet and less reluctant as he listened to the reasonable explanation.

“Also, since your past and background are unknown, and it isn’t clear who your parents are, I would advise you to not blurt out you were a “sex slave who escaped.” Asami chuckled when a shy blush stretched across the boy’s creamy cheeks. “For your safety and Takeo’s, I would suggest that you speak only after you’ve mulled it over in that devious little head of yours.” Asami said as he playfully teased Akihito’s nose with his finger.

“…Fine…” Akihito muttered softly under his breath.

“But I’m surprised Takeo didn’t have Kaede coach you on these lessons. You’d probably relate to her much better” Asami commented.

“Who’s Kaede?” Akihito asked as he flopped his ass back onto the wooden floors to stretch out his worn out legs.

Wearing a slight expression of surprise on his face, Asami looked down at the young boy stretching out his limbs. He had to admit, he was smitten by the boyish kitten. “Takeo’s daughter” he answered.

The boy was clearly surprised at the reply, evident by the sudden widening of the eyes. “What?” he cried out. “He has a daughter?”

“I trust you weren’t told?” Asami confirmed.

Akihito shook his head.

“The princess of the Takeo household, older than you by quite a few years” Asami explained.

“His...legitimate daughter…?” Akihito asked with hesitation.

“Yes. Are you surprised? Takeo is nearing fifty. To pass on his lineage; to keep this household alive, he must have children.”

“Asami-sama” Kujo interrupted suddenly. “Kaede-sama, is currently studying abroad. She will be back for winter break. Takeo-sama was hoping to introduce her to you once she comes back home.”

“I see” Asami said. “I’m sure that girl will tease the boy to no end. She is easily excitable” the twenty-six year old commented.

“Isamu-san never told me anything about his kid…” Akihito said; disappointment present in his voice.

“Please rest assured Akihito-sama. He had every intention of telling you about your new sister; however, Takeo-sama merely wanted you to focus on your current tasks for they are your current priority” Kujo spoke on behalf of his master…again.

“I see…” Akihito responded, slightly disheartened. Takeo has a legitimate child; his own flesh and blood – not adopted. Akihito ran the fact through his head over and over again, and every time, he would ask himself if there will actually be any space left for him in his guardian’s world if the girl were to come home.

Seeing his master bothered, Kujo immediately spoke up. “The lady Kaede is an adult now and she is more than capable of surviving on her own. Besides, you need not worry. Takeo-sama’s love towards you isn’t just a little, it is a whole lot. It cannot be dismissed so easily”

“How can that be…?” Akihito pouted quietly. “He can’t possibly care for me more than his own kin…”

Asami let out a soft chuckle. The kid was clearly displeased to hear that he had to share his guardian with another. It seems the boy liked the attention and love he has received from Takeo and he wanted it all. But the thing that caught his attention was the fact that the boy’s feelings clearly showed on his face. Someone so natural and free was something he had never encountered in his twenty six years.

“Trust me Akihito-sama, the boss cares and loves you a great deal. He doesn’t have a proper reason; he just does. And I hear your new sister is very excited to meet you. She has been asking for pictures, but Takeo-sama wanted to keep her in suspense.”

“Hmmm…” Akihito responded with doubt, still not believing Kujo’s words entirely. After all, the man can be quite the sweet talker.

“The two of you will get along fine, but let’s end the chit-chat here today; my schedule is rather tight this afternoon.” Asami said as he turned his attention towards Kujo. “Kujo, Takeo told me you have it?”

“Ah! Yes sir” Kujo responded and ran out of the room to fetch what Asami came for.

“What’s _“it”_ ” Akihito asked curiously.

“Takeo called me yesterday informing me that he had found the watch Kirishima carelessly _lost_ when we were introduced in Ginza the other day” Asami said, stressing the word lost with great emphasis and amusement.

Akihito looked away from the man’s eyes, a sly little smile on his face. “It’s his watch, why did he make you pick it up? You should ask him if he knows his manners.”

“Fufu, I see you’re still not letting that go. Your guardian was afraid that the two of you might break out into a fight so he requested me to pick it up instead” Asami said as he patted the boy’s head.

“He started it…” Akihito whispered under his breath.

~~~~~

Akihito moaned in pleasure as he slipped into the large, luxurious Jacuzzi tub. He loved the feeling of the water jets massaging his sore muscles (no thanks to all of the lessons he had received) and he loved swimming around in the tub since it was big enough to fit five of him. But today, he wanted to relax into the steaming hot water and sleep. Falling asleep during a bath has steadily become a habit for him, even though everyone in the house had warned him of possible dangers. But it just felt so good. He had recently learned of the existence of a water bed and was wondering if perhaps Takeo could get one for him, but he knew he couldn’t be that forward just yet.

“I heard from the maids that you held a conversation with Asami Ryuichi today” the familiar voice of his guardian suddenly interrupted his inner tranquility, causing Akihito to shoot out of the tub – startled.

“Eh…?” Akihito said in confusion for the white, hazy steam has made his mind more muddled than usual.

Takeo smiled at the cute surprised expression on the teens face as he began stripping off his clothes and throwing them off to the side; intending to join Akihito in the warm tub.

“Your teacher was very displeased when she reported of your rebellious behavior towards learning and towards the little master of the Asamis today. She wanted me to discipline you properly, but I told her I could never do that” Takeo said with a gentle smile as he slipped into the bath.

“I’m sorry…” Akihito apologized in a quiet voice. “But she was really harsh and mean. I don’t like her”

“She is also one of the best. You can’t go through life getting everything you want. You should know that better than anyone right?” Takeo said, indicating of Akihito’s addict past while he gently brushed his thumb lightly over Akihito’s cheeks. “As much as I love seeing you happy, I cannot pamper you all the time for that will only harm you. Do you understand?”

Akihito nodded slightly, a small, cute pout evident on his face.

“But you know…that Asami Ryuichi didn’t seem displeased or anything…” Akihito pointed out.

“The members of the Asami family are like tigers…beasts. Accompanying them is the same as accompanying a wild animal. Their birth has always been of superiority. They are long used to a life where nobody has ever dared to contradict them. I guess you could say that they place themselves high above everybody else” Takeo said. “Ryuichi may have been amused by your behavior, but that is only because it is new and refreshing. If you keep it up – like a toy to a child – he may lose interest and will no longer be able to tolerate your attitude towards him…However, I think Ryuichi is a lot more lenient compared to his father…although that old guy too is getting old and tired” Takeo said with a heavy sigh.

“You know…he made it seem like a serious issue if I didn’t learn how to present these rules…”

Facing the teen once again, Takeo brushed the newly dyed fringes off to the side, revealing that pretty face. “As much as I would love to exempt you from all these elaborate gestures and mannerisms, I just can’t. So please just bear with it alright? You haven’t made a public appearance yet and you have already made many enemies; all looking at you with envious eyes. These enemies of yours will try to pick out mistakes in everything you do, believe me. And once said enemies complain to either me or the Asami head, we will have no choice but to take action since we are considered role models.”

Akihito trembled visibly, but quickly dismissed it. “You and these Asamis seem very close” he said.

“We are. We’re friends and we’re also close enough to be family…but strict rules still exist, even among family members.”

“Mmm…And what about your child? I was told you have a daughter?” Akihito asked, changing the subject.

“Haha, you’re sure talking a lot today” Takeo said as he played with Akihito’s locks. “But yes, indeed I do, just one daughter. Do you want to meet her?”

“While…yea…”

“Her mother died of an infection during childbirth. The two of you are both motherless so I think that commonality will bring you two children close to one another” Takeo explained with a small smile on his face. “She is also very eager to meet with you after hearing your story” Takeo said as he gently massaged Akihito’s scalp.

“How old is she?” Akihito asked.

“Kaede is twenty two this year and is studying in the United States for her degree. She will be coming home for winter break. But I must warn you, Kaede enjoys fashion quite a bit. Especially if she knew her new brother was this cute” Takeo said and planted a quick kiss on Akihito’s head.

“Mmmm” Akihito moaned at the comfort of the affection he was receiving, not even bothered by the fact that he could end up in girls clothes in the near future.

“What is it?”

“I never knew having a family would give me such a great feeling…back then, I’ve always wished for one, and now, I finally got one…I also have a sister now too! I never thought my life would turn out this way” Akihito whispered as he snuggled up beside his guardian. “But it’s also very scary…”

“Scary?” Takeo blurted at those unexpected words. “How can it be scary?”

“What you have given me, you can also take away; what I have gained, I can lose. So I’m scared. You’re so good to me; I’m scared that one day I might lose you or you might abandon me…”

Takeo let out a rich chuckle at the thought. “Stupid child, how can I bear to let you leave my side? You’re also so good to me” Takeo reassured as he held Akihito in his embrace, patting the boy’s back for extra comfort. “My only regret is that I didn’t act fast enough to get you before that mayor did…” Takeo sighed.

“That’s not your fault…you didn’t know that was going to happen…” Akihito said.

“True, but I should have put in more of an effort in finding your whereabouts."

“But you’ve made it all up to me now. You treat me so well that I’m willing to take almost any grievance that comes my way.” Akihito exaggerated, causing Takeo’s rich laugh to echo throughout the elaborate bathroom.

“Silly boy…” the elder man continued to chuckle. “ I promise, I will encircle you with happiness and I will protect you from any grievance and harm.

Akihito’s heart pounded at those words and a large smile stretched across his face. “You know, sometimes I feel so happy….I think I can die from it!” Akihito cried out gleefully.

“My stupid boy, you won’t die, I won’t allow you to ever die. I’ve put so much effort into reviving you, how can I let you go back?” Takeo said chuckling softly as he stroked his fingers through Akihito’s wet hair. “Are you hungry? I hear you haven’t been eating well these past two days because of all the lessons. Do you want to eat anything? I’ll have the chief prepare something for you and you can gorge it down.”

Akihito shook his head as he closed his eyes and allowed heat and the beating of the older man’s heart to sooth his soul. “I’m eating fine; it’s just that that woman’s nagging totally ruins my appetite.”

Takeo laughed. “She may be strict and a nag, but if you weren’t so rebellious she would be a lot more tolerable.”

“Ngh…” Akihito complained.

“Alright, I think you’ve sent too long in the tub already, you’re eye lids are starting to droop. Out you go.” Takeo said as he helped the boy up onto his feet.

Akihito stretched and yawned. A hot bath, a conversation where he can speak of all his feelings, and a nice stretch really relaxed his mind. Just as he began walking away, he felt the gentle hand of his guardian wrap around his wrist, holding him back. Turning around, Akihito looked into Takeo’s soft, dark eyes, which were studying his body.

“Akihito, what is this?” Takeo asked as he glided his forefinger on the boy’s lower back, just above the buttocks.

“Eh? What?” Akihito asked; confused at what Takeo was referring to.

“This circle mark on your skin…” Takeo said, tracing the mark with his finger.

“Ah, it’s a birthmark. My mom said I was born with it” Akihito replied.

“A birth mark…really? I don’t think I have ever seen any birthmark like it before. The mark is very _very_ clear…” Takeo said gently. “And did you know it is in the shape of a perfect circle?” Takeo continued as he gently used his fingers to carefully examine and play with the small mark.

“Yea I did, my mom also said it was very unique. She always say that I am constantly full of surprises” Akihito said with a large smile stretched across his face.

“I bet she did” Takeo said with a light chuckle. “However, it doesn’t really look like a birthmark…It looks more like a scar…a burn scar…”

“Really? I’ve never had a good look at it before since it’s on my back, but my mom did say I was born with it” Akihito said again.

“Your mother…Takaba Yayoi correct?”

“Yea” Akihito replied sadly.

Seeing the boy sadden at the topic of his mother, Takeo immediately stopped. “It’s getting late; Harashi-sensei left you some homework correct?”

Akihito groaned at the suddenly changed topic, but much to Takeo’s relief, the boy immediately forgot about the past.

“You go get a start on it; I will be out in a moment to help you alright?”

“Ok…” Akihito grumbled.

When the bathroom door closed, Takeo let out a sigh. “You sure are filled with surprises my little mouse…”

 

_

A circle – for unity

_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Refer back to prologue


	7. River Crossing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable ideas and characters belong to yamane ayano  
> Warning: unedited, oc, ooc, au

**

Chapter 6 – River Crossing

**

The fragrance of summer’s last trampled petals permeated the air as the sky began to fill with clouds tinged ever so lightly with sunset’s hue. The summer’s view began to disappear as more petals began shedding away like tears. Flocks of geese honked in the broad open sky and flew away from the upcoming cold. The green has already dried, and the moon began to distance itself from the green and blue Earth.

“I think about it every day, every night; every minute of my life…what if would be like if I just fought? What would it be like if I had that child by my side right now? I often would fantasize about the possibilities. I would paint a picture in my head and immerse myself in this unrealistic painting and start fantasizing…but all this time…I knew that even if I were to have dragged that child into this world, that man would have tossed him out…How pitiful…it is only in fantasy that I can truly live now. I have no love, I receive no love, and every day is just like empty scenery…completely devoid of any meaning” the long haired woman whispered quietly as she tore her wooden comb through her thick, black hair. “I would think so much to the point where my heart would start to ache” the woman said as she clutched her chest.

“Please do not be sad madam” the maid reassured. “Fate has many tricks up its sleeves, m’lady will never know when something might just pop up.”

“If our departure had not been so light, I wouldn’t have to go through a life time of waiting. Sometimes, I really regret not fighting. But look at me now…without these walls to protect me, I am nothing but a fish without water. Even if fate does comes to my bed, what can I do?” the woman said.

“But the separation was also inevitable was it not?” the maid asked. “Who could have possibly foretold that this separation would give rise to years of waiting?”

“I had a dreadful feeling that day we separated. I feared that I would never see him again. It has already been years, and I no longer have many years left. ”

“No story has a simple ending, and I doubt a complex story like madam's will just end like this…Like in any good story, I’m sure there will be a turn of events.”

The lady sighed. “I am not young anymore…any more turns of events might just cost me my life…”

The maid grew silent at the remark, but soon thought of something to cheer her lady up, “The weather is beautiful today. Even though summer is a wondrous season, autumn has its beauty too. Please allow your humble servant to accompany you for a walk.”

A small, but genuine smile appeared on the lady’s face. “I do wish to go out today”

The maid smiled back. “Where ever the lady wishes to go, I will follow.”

~~~~~

“This kimono is awfully big isn’t it? Is it supposed to be like this? ” Akihito asked as he busily played with the loose pieces on the dark blue clothing.

“Akihito, are you capable of standing still for just five minutes?” Takeo teased playfully from the door way. “We need to make sure the kimono is a perfect fit before tonight’s event.”

“Yes yes yes. I know, today is very important. I promise I won’t mess it up. Everything will be perfect, I promise” Akihito stressed.

Takeo let out a snort. “When it comes to you, anything perfect will automatically become imperfect.”

The boy`s brows furrowed and the bright smile turned into a cute little pout.

“Can’t you have a little confidence in me? I’ve endured a whole month of brutal training for tonight. I know how important this evening is so trust me a little!” Akihito whined.

“You’re right, you’re right…I apologize” Takeo said, calming Akihito down. “But I must say, the old saying “fine feathers make fine birds” holds no lies. Wearing these clothes and with your hair all tidied back like this, you really do look like a little lord” Takeo commented as a servant girl put the finishes touches to the formal attire.

Akihito smiled brightly at the compliment. “But I still think my hair looks weird…it feels weird too! There’s too much goo on it” Akihito said, reaching up with his hands in an attempt to free his hair from the gel once again, but was quickly stopped by Takeo.

“Now Akihito, it would be a shame to hide that cute little face of yours behind your hair. You`ll get used to it soon” Takeo said. “Let’s go through tonight’s plans one more time. I will enter the party hall first and make sure everything is in order while you…”

“I will be waiting at the back entrance which leads into the party hall” Akihito answered confidently.

“Good boy. After everyone has quieted down, I will rise to give a speech and I will end my speech with your introduction in which you will…” Takeo waited.

“Make my entrance, kneel and bow gracefully to the bitter grandpas and grandmas”

“Don’t call them grandpa or grandma to their faces when you meet them one on one though; address them properly, and don’t forget to add a –sama to the end of every name.”

“Got it” Akihito answered; his attention completely focused on the elaborate designs on his kimono.

“No you don’t. Remember not to behave casually like you are greeting me. You can’t run up to them and shout out a hello and run off. Also, take Ryuichi’s advice to mull things over in your head before speaking.”

“I get it I get it, I just have to show off all of the etiquettes I’ve learnt this past month right? Bow when I need to bow, speak when I’m expected to speak…and don’t babble on endlessly right?”

“It’s probably best if you talked a little less. I’m quite afraid of what will come out from that little mouth of yours. Just let me do the talking for you.”

“You really don’t have any confidence in me do you? I’ve been practising for _a whole month_! Besides, if anything goes wrong, all I have to do is kneel or bow. That always seems to be the solution to everything” Akihito said with childish arrogance.

Takeo sighed and rubbed at his temples. “Akihito…it’s not that I have no confidence in you…it’s just that I have no confidence in your mouth and your rashness. Your mouth is constantly ahead of your brain and you always act before thinking of later consequences. As much as I love these qualities of yours, you must put it away, for it is a danger tonight. ”

Akihito pouted. Sure his mouth is fast to follow, but it wasn’t _that_ bad. “Alright, I understand. Tonight, I’ll become a mute; you won’t hear anything out of me okay?”

“I’m afraid that is also not acceptable. If someone asks you a question directly and expects a reply from you, you can’t remain silent. You can speak slowly if it would help, but just don’t speak without thinking alright little mouse?”

“Okay, I promise I’ll do my best. I mean…after all, I-I…I want to be your pride…not your embarrassment. I want to live up your expectations and your great name. I want you to be proud of me” Akihito said in a shy, meek tone.

Takeo’s face visibly relaxed, and the once tensed muscles turned into a deep smile. “You have always been my pride sweet child. I am more proud of you than you think. And you will never disappointment me. I may become angry with you and yell, or maybe even discipline you in the future, but I will never be disappointed in you. Your position in my world is both indelible and irreplaceable. You have nothing to fear Akihito. ”

Akihito smiled and his eyes moistened a bit at those soothing, and priceless words. He was happy. He was so happy. The happiness was unreal. Takeo Isamu was his god; the god that he had always longed for back in his dark days. Now, not only did his god appear, his god had come to personally rewarded him for his years of enduring the sufferings the world had bestowed upon him. His god has surrounded him in love and happiness, and the gratitude he felt cannot be explained with words. He has received so much wondrous gifts from his god, and he wanted to give something of equal importance back to show his gratitude, and tonight was the night for him to prove himself worthy of the lavish gifts his god has bestow him.

“You know” Akihito began as he walked towards the older man, dragging the hem of the kimono along the floor. “I think it really is possible for me to die of happiness. These emotions surging throughout my whole entire body feels…divine...I-I can’t really describe it. I mean, you have given me so much, I so want to give you something too, but I don’t know what…”

Takeo lowered himself so he was on eye level with the teen. He rested his hands on the boy’s heated cheeks and looked deep into those hazel orbs. “Promise me you will never give up on life again, promise me you will never let your cheeriness fade, never let your vibrancy fade” Takeo listed as he gently stroke Akihito`s plump cheeks with his thumb. “Your young life has so much flavor…you are the taste in my life. Promise me these and I will be eternally grateful. ”

Akihito started hard into Takeo`s solemn yet sad face. “You’re using a lot of big words…I’m not sure if I understand, but shouldn’t I be the one feeling eternally grateful?”

“Everyone has their share of gratitude, including you and I” Takeo said with a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, just promise me, always be yourself and that will be enough.”

“Are you sure? I want to give you so much more…” Akihito said.

“You have already given me more than I could have hoped for” Takeo replied. “Now come with me Akihito, there is someone here very eager to meet you.”

Taking Akihito’s small hands into his aging, but strong ones, he led the teen out of the dressing room, through several hallways, and into another room.

It has been nearly half a year since Akihito started living in this large, traditional home, but he still gets lost. There was so many little buildings around and in the estate, and there was so many doors and windows, making it impossible for him not to get lost. But Akihito always had Kujo beside him. The guard seemed to have become his personal nanny, which was annoying, but he was grateful Kujo was always around to help him.

“Who wants to meet me? Is it Kaede?” Akihito asked, curious and excited.

“No, not her. But I’m glad you are so eager to meet Kaede” Takeo chuckled. “This is someone else; my best friend.”

Akihito tensed. He had never met any of Takeo’s friends before, let alone his best friend. 

_The best friend_ …Akihito grew a little scared at the thought. He knew just how important in getting the _best_ friend’s approval was. Even Takeo can’t ignore his best friend’s advice in favor of him. The thought of making a good impression started to stress him, evident by his sad puppy face as Takeo often called it.

“Akihito? Why are you making that face?”

“I…I’m not prepared…I mean…you’re best friend! I’m not ready…” Akihito whispered, fearing that the friend could be in hearing range.

Pulling Akihito towards him, Takeo kissed him on the forehead. “Relax, just bow and greet him properly alright? You can relax around him; he’s not like any of the guests tonight. He prefers spunky boy’s over obedient ones. Just be you” Takeo instructed.

Akihito gave a weary nod.

“We’re here Rai” Takeo shouted out in the empty room.

For several heartbeats, nothing in the room moved except for Akihito’s nerves breaking down into small fragments.

“Rai, come out already! Stop making the poor boy more nervous than he already is!” Takeo shouted once more.

A deep, rich chuckle suddenly made its way into the room, causing Akihito to nearly jump into the air if it weren’t for Takeo’s comforting hands on his shoulders.

“That “puppy dog” face is indeed cute, just like you’ve described so I couldn’t help but observe more” the new comer named “Rai” announced in a clear, and powerful tone as he entered into the room.

“You sadist…” Takeo said with a chuckle before turning his attention back to Akihito. “Akihito, this is –”

“I am Asami Raiju” the man interrupted, introducing himself. “Please to meet you my little lord” the tall (slightly taller than Takeo), strong built man said with a slight, little bow.

“Asami…?” Akihito said in a soft whisper.

“Indeed. I’ve heard you’ve already met my son a few times. Asami Ryuichi? I am his father.”

 _Asami! The family Isamu serves_! Akihito recalled and suddenly, he threw his head forward and gave the older man a nice, low bow. “It is my pleasure to meet you sir! I am extremely honoured to be given the chance to meet you personally like this!”

Afraid of raising his head back up before he is supposed to, Akihito continued to stare at his feet as he waiting for something to be said.  
He heard Takeo chuckle, then he felt the older man help him out of his bow; however, he still refused to meet eyes with either one of them. “Akihito, I told you it was okay, you need not be that formal around Rai.”

“Listen to Isamu. I already have more than enough well-mannered people under me, I don’t need more” Raiju said with a chuckle. “Now look at me properly child, let me see your face.”

Slowly and hesitantly, Akihito lifted his face so he was staring directly into the thunder beast’s eyes. The older man studied him long and hard; eyes not leaving his face even for a moment and that made Akihito squirm.

“You certainly have a pristine look. A nice and clean face” the older man commented as he gently reached out to feel the flesh he has been studying. “Your eyes…they are like…” Raiju pondered for a moment. “Hooks” he finally said as he gently felt the skin under the boy’s eyes. “Such a unique colour too, your pupils. I remember seeing that colour on someone else before…a long time ago.”

“Rai, don’t confuse him too much. He has a long day ahead of him” Takeo interrupted as he watched Akihito become increasingly uncomfortable.

“Don’t be in such a rush Isamu” the older Asami said before turning his attention back to the young child. “Isamu told me you used to live here in Yokohama?”

“Ah…yeah…” Akihito answered.

“Where did you live before?”

 _Lie or tell the truth_? Akihito thought, remembering the advice to “mull it over in his head before speaking.”

“Ummm…I…I-I” he stuttered. _The truth_. “I used to live in a brothel in the red light district. I was conceived there so…”

“Which brothel?” Raiju asked, now curious. “There are many in Yokohama.”

“I-I’m not sure. I couldn’t read back then so I never knew the name of the place.”

“I see…fine, fine” Raiju said, patting Akihito’s shoulders. “I was quite eager to see this “vivacious and brisk” personality of yours but it seems I may have made a bad first impression.”

“No…no…” Akihito quickly cut in. “I-I just wasn’t prepared…”

Raiju smiled and ruffled his hair.

“He just needs some time to get use to you before he can open himself up” Takeo advised.

“Of course, of course” Raiju agreed. “When I have some time on my hands, I must sit down with you and have a chat. I hear conversations with you can be very “priceless?””

Akihito looked confusingly at the older man, then at Takeo. He didn’t understand what he meant.

“You also have to be very frank when talking to this boy. He doesn’t understand hidden meanings very well” Takeo advised again.

“Of course, of course” Raiju nodded. “I must get going myself now; I have several errands to take care of before tonight’s party.”  
Turning his attention back to Akihito, Raiju gave the boy a smile. “Isamu’s children are also my children, so think of me as your family too alright?”

Akihito nodded with child-like cuteness.

“My home is located not far out of Yokohama. If you ever get bored, come over and play. I have many sons and daughters whom still live there with me. You can play with them anytime you like. Ryuichi is my second son. He lives in Tokyo, but you can still have someone drive you up there. I hear the two of you are getting along very well.”

Giving his small little nose a playful flick, Raiju turned and left the room.

The places where Asami Raiju had touched started heating up and Akihito felt his legs giving up strength.

“Are you alright? You did very well Akihito” Takeo praised. But seeing Akihito flabbergasted and heating up, he began to feel concerned. “Akihito? What’s wrong? Akihito?” he asked, gently shaking the boy.

“Eh?” Akihito looked up into his guardian’s worried eyes.

“Is everything fine?”

“Y-Yea…of course…It’s just that…just…” Akihito trailed off.

“Just what Akihito?”

“It’s just that…I was expecting a strict, stern, unforgiving…dictator or something. I mean…everybody has been tell me how important Asami Raiju was and how important it was to act properly in front of him…I just wasn’t expecting him to be so…nice and…normal! Like a regular person almost!” Akihito cried out in disbelief, causing Takeo to burst out laughing.

“Yes, believe it or not, Rai is also made up of flesh and blood” Takeo said, still laughing.

“I-I can’t believe it…he seems like such a gentle person…nothing like what I’ve been told. He never stopped smiling at me! And yet…he seemed so…so…godly…and king like…” Akihito continued to blabber on in awe.

“Ho? Just one meeting and you're beginning to like Raiju more than me?” Takeo said teasingly.

“No! Of course not!” Akihito quickly blurted out. “It’s just that….he’s not at all what I have been expecting…and…it surprised me.”

“I’m only joking Akihito” Takeo said laughingly. “I’m glad the impression was good, but remember, it was only a first impression. You still haven’t’ seen him in a temper yet. Just one little humph from him and an entire room of people will be scared onto their knees.”

“Really? He doesn't seem that commanding…”

“He is both dignified and passionate. He balances kindness and sternness; business and family perfectly. And that is what makes him such a favored and powerful leader. His son is also following well in his footsteps so I advise you to be more cautions around Ryuichi too.”

“Wow…”

“Alright, the evening is almost here. I want you to go to your Harashi-sensei and review the guest info for tonight with him, understand?”

“Yes” Akihito responded.

“Good boy” Takeo rewarded with a pat on the head before sending Akihito off.

He waited until the boy was completely out of hearing range before walking towards the partition in the room and slid it off to the side, revealing Raiju hiding behind it, who has been listening to every word.

“He really is very genuine, I didn’t think you were serious. Now I’m really looking forward to chatting with him” Raiju said with a smirk on his face. “His vocabulary is a bit lacking isn’t it?”

“He only started classes with Harashi a month ago, but he has already improved immensely according to Harashi.”

“Good, good, learning is a slow process after all. But I am awfully flattered to be described as godly” Raiju laughed, recalling the boy’s words.

“Once he gets used to you, he’ll say it to your face, trust me” Takeo added.

Both men grew quiet for several minutes until Raiju spoke up again. “So…is there anything else you would like to tell me?”

Takeo sighed. He can’t put it off any longer. “Yes, and I would guess you did your own research.”

“Yes…” Raiju responded.

“So you should know that Takeo Akihito was originally Takaba Akihito – Takaba Yayoi’s child.”

“Yes I knew. I was just waiting for you to tell me yourself. That brothel burnt down after the owner hanged herself so not much information could be gathered, but I’ve still found more than enough proof.”

“You know I’ll never hide something like this from you” Takeo said before another moment of silence passed by.

“So…” Takeo started. “What are you going to do?”

“Are you suggesting something?” Raiju asked.

“Akihito had asked me before, several times, if perhaps I knew of a man who took his mother away. My response has always been “No, I need more details.” Takaba Yayoi holds a special place in his world, and I feel guilty as hell keeping such an important secret from him.”

“And you should continue to keep it if you want to keep that boy’s happiness alive. He’s still very young. I know well that boys at his age can’t control their temper and emotions as well as adult men. He will be consumed with revenge if he knew the truth. You and I both know what revenge can do to a person” Raiju said. “It hasn’t even been a year since the boy recovered, not to mention the heavy past he is forced to carry. Why put more weight on his shoulders?”

Takeo remained silent as he listened to the older Asami’s reasoning's.

“I am not hiding if that is what you are thinking Isamu, I am just thinking for the best of that boy you hold so dear. Not only will he come to hate me when he discovers the truth, he will also come to hate you. Even though he looks scatter-brained, if you study him long enough, you will see that he is a very bright child. It won’t take him long at all to figure out that the secret was kept from him intentionally. He will definitely misunderstand your reasons for doing so. He will most likely think you are trying to defend me by lying and manipulating him…”  
Raiju concluded. “Hate is such a concentrated emotion; just one drop is capable of dissolving years’ worth of good deeds.”

“I understand where you are getting at. I have been thinking the same things myself” Takeo said.

“………” Raiju shortened the distance between him and his friend until they noses were nearly touching. “There’s also another possibility we can’t overlook” Raiju said in a hushed tone and Takeo immediately became alert at the seriousness in the other man’s voice.

“I was the one to lend the Takabas money, I was the one who pressured them into selling Takaba Yayoi in order to clear their debt with me, and I was the one who _dragged_ Takaba Yayoi away her son. In other words, I am the one solely responsible for that boy’s sufferings; his past involving the brothel, the mayor the drugs…everything. Back then, if I could have just controlled my desires for Takaba Yayoi when I first laid eyes on her, today’s story would never have occurred. So every piece of blame falls on me” Raiju said and Takeo remained silent and unmoving.

Raiju continued. “That Akihito is a cunning little minx. All those years he had spent in that brothel working as a helper, do you really believe he hasn’t thought this story all the way thorough? He must have already concluded that the one who took Takaba Yayoi away is the one solely responsibility for his past sufferings.”

“Yes” Takeo said, “this is a definitely possibility; however…” he spoke, but quickly got cut off.

“Yokohama’s red light district is filled with people with…intentions. Growing up there, I doubt he didn’t pick up any of those habits. Since we both know evil is a much more powerful influence than good. Also, he knows that the one who took his mother away is rich. I left him several thousand yen to survive on his own and I actually bought a fucking person. Putting all these facts together, he must already know that the one who caused his life to be a living hell wasn’t just a regular person…” Raiju said as he explained his view on this matter. “Isamu, you said he had asked you about Yayoi a couple of times before, but didn’t really push it correct?”

Takeo nodded.

“I would be more careful around that boy; it is possible he has already suspected you may know something.”

“Why do you say that?” Takeo asked.

“Because he didn’t ask you to help him find information; he didn’t ask you to dig further into this matter” Raiju said. “He only asked if you knew anything about his mother and what’s even weirder is that he doesn’t push it. Think, such a serious matter, how can he just let it go so easily? He knows you adore him; he knows you will do anything to keep him happy, he knows you have money, power, and resources. He now has everything that could help him locate information on Yayoi and yet he doesn’t utilize any of them.” 

Takeo nodded slowly. “It seems I have been underestimating the boy…But do you really believe that such a small thing can really be that…manipulative? To actually pull the strings so well to blind even me?”

Raiju shook his head. “We have lived in society’s underworld for far too long, and the sun that is your Akihito has blinded you. I don’t believe him to be harmful, but remember: a seed can become a tree. Akihito’s innocent naiveté may truly be his character, but no human has only one character. All of us hide another one within ourselves: Oceans do not reveal its deep treasures, humans do not reveal their hidden nature.”

Takeo sighed. “Either way, Akihito is still too young to know the truth. Perhaps when he is older, he will understand the situation better.”

This time Raiju nodded and grew silent. The echoing sounds of footsteps and shouting became louder as the evening’s event drew nearer. Maids were running around with curtains, table clothes, and silver wear while cooks were getting out the big wok and the best rice. All of them focused their attention solely on making the evening’s event perfect.

“I have been thinking…about that question” Raiju said.

“What question?” Takeo looked at his friend.

“Are we ‘upper class’ men still accustomed to ordinary emotions…” Raiju recalled.

“…….…”

Raiju continued. “If you weren’t capable of feeling ordinary emotions, you wouldn’t have adopted that boy.”

Takeo let out a soft chuckle. “I suppose I still have some human left in me.”

“Unless your main reasons for adopting the boy wasn’t kindness” Raiju said in a firm, but quiet voice.

Takeo’s face stiffened. He looked directly into his friend’s golden-brown pupils; staring firmly into it; trying to read it. “Please explain…”

“At first, I assumed you adopted him because he is Yayoi’s son, but now, I am starting to doubt that possibility” Raiju said.

“I don’t understand” Takeo said, his eyes not leaving Raiju’s for even a second.

“Don’t play the fool Isamu, you know exactly what I mean” Raiju spat out harshly as he wrapped his fingers around Takeo’s arm; hard. “You didn’t adopt him because you felt sorry for him. You didn’t adopt him because he is Yayoi’s flesh and blood. You adopted him because he resembles your late brother.”

Takeo yanked his arm away from the firm hold, but Raiju was fast. Within seconds, Takeo was once again caged in the thunder beast’s hold.

“I hit the nails on the head didn’t I?” Raiju said with a smirk as he glared into his friend’s eyes. “Akihito definitely resembles your little brother in more ways than one. When he first stepped into the room, I thought I was staring at a younger version of your brother. But you know, when I studied him, his features didn’t resemble your brother’s all that much. It’s more his character and his aura that resembles your brother.”

“…….…” Takeo stayed silent; waiting for Raiju to continue talking.

“This belonged to your brother didn’t it?” Raiju asked as he touched a silver pendant – in the shape of a mouse – hung around Takeo’s neck. “You know, your brother and I, the two of us would often spent the night, drinking sake under the night sky. He would always tell me the tale of the goddess on the moon. It would always be that story. You’d think I would tire of hearing it, but no. He was an excellent story teller…” Raiju reminisced as he brushed his thumb over and over across the pendant’s surface. “I miss those times”

“Then why –” Takeo started but quickly stopped after receiving a harsh glare from Raiju.

“I regret what I did to him. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about it.”

The room grew silent once again. As Raiju continued to play with the pendant, Takeo remained still, not daring to say a word. Not that he had anything to say. Not that he was allowed to contradict or question his friend’s – his master’s – actions and choices.

“Let’s talk about something else” Raiju said, taking his attention away from the pendant as he walked outside of the room, with Takeo following him close by. “There’s another issues I’m constantly concerning over.”

Takeo waited.

“Ryuichi has always been a problem on my mind…” Raiju started.

“Problem? He has grown up into a very fine young man; very strong and powerful. You should be proud" Takeo commented.

“I am proud; immensely proud. However, he is nearly thirty and he has never gone steady with anyone. The women he takes all ends up being either thrown away or killed. And he needs a child to pass on his blood” Raiju explained his dilemma.

“Ryuichi did tell me that marriage and children weren’t in his plans...” Takeo recalled. “But I don’t think forcing him will help solve your problem. Besides, what about your other children? They are all either married or taken. They should give you enough kids to pass on the family lineage.”

Raiju shook his head. “I was too strict with my oldest and now he’s isolated himself from us all, my third son is good in studies only, and helpless when it comes to real life experiences. My youngest son has great potential, but he loses to Ryuichi. My daughters may be well educated and brought up, but they are girls. They may give me suitable grandchildren, but none of them would carry on my name. That’s the problem with daughters, once they marry, they can no longer pass on the name” Raiju explained. “Only Ryuichi possess good traits – powerful genes – and I need those traits to be passed onto a new generation.”

“You have plans to have him take your place?” Takeo asked.

“So far, I see no better choice other than him; however since he doesn’t want it, I didn’t push him. But children are something I absolutely need from him. I’ve looked at every possibility and my choice always lands on your daughter Kaede” Raiju said.

“Kaede! My daughter Kaede?” Takeo cried out in disbelief, laughing a little. “You do know that she is rather…lively…I don’t think her brisk personality will go well with your son’s.”

“She is virtuous, educated, level headed – a very strong woman. Her playful character may be able to melt my son’s stern one. I need Ryuichi to get his ass out of his head. I’m afraid the money and power he has obtained by himself have made him too proud. I need someone to pull him down a few levels before his becomes another Icarus. And I believe there is no one better than Kaede” Raiju said.

“When I met Ryuichi the other day, he seemed to have found the balance well. I don`t think you have to worry about him becoming too proud” Takeo pointed out. “But are you sure the two of them will get along? Remember when they were kids? Kaede would bully Ryuichi, and Ryuichi would beat her up…”

Raiju chuckled. “They were children, what can you do?”

“Well, Kaede still sees Ryuichi as a nemesis…I talked to her about marriage last month and suggested Ryuichi. She told me, and I quote, she would rather lick the insides of a city bus than kiss that mutant little frog…”

Raiju burst out laughing this time. “She still hates him that much?”

“Well…I also didn’t like the idea of marrying my only daughter to a man who throws his women away or kills them…”

“Those women were nobodies; Kaede is a somebody – a princess of the Takeo household – so why are you worried? Ryuichi isn’t insane. He knows not to cause grievance to a good family friend. He also has his pride to keep” Raiju reassured. “But if the two of them are still pointing guns at each other, I guess it wouldn’t be too healthy of a match.”

“I don’t think you have to worry much about children. Ryuichi is a man after all, he’s not a woman; he can still make children as long as he can get it up. But as for keeping him in check…from my point of view, I think he and Akihito gets along quite well.”

“Yes, I think so too. Even towards his own brothers and sisters, I’ve never seen Ryuichi so lenient and welcoming. It looks like this Akihito of yours has touched a part of him.”

“After tonight, Akihito’s schedule will only include lessons with Harashi; he’ll have a lot more free time on his plate. Shall I send him over to Shinjuku sometime? I think that boy is also beginning to become very fond of Ryuichi.”

“Yes, it would be good for Ryuichi to be around children. Have Akihito sent over to Ryuichi’s place once a week. I think my son will also be a good role model for him.”

Both men nodded in agreement, closing the deal.

Takeo liked the idea of getting the two closer together. If Asami Ryuichi were to grow attached to his Akihito, it would mean one extra layer of protection…from Asami Raiju in the future.


	8. Don't Let Them See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Viewfinder belongs to yamane ayano. Recognizable dialogues, lines and ideas belong to the makers of Married with children (see wiki for full list).
> 
> Warnings: unedited, oc, ooc, au
> 
> The idea at the end of the chapter is taken from the American sitcom Married with Children (one of my loves), season 8 episode 12, A Little of the Top

**

Chapter 7 Don’t Let Them See

**

_Deep breaths Akihito….deep breaths…_

As Akihito stood waiting in the back room – waiting for all the guests to enter into the dining hall – he did several relaxation exercises Harashi-sensei had taught him. He was nervous and scared. He didn’t care if he made a fool of himself in front of all those pedigrees out there – he didn’t give a damn about them. He was frightened that he would make a fool of Takeo. Even if the man did say he could never disappoint him, Akihito still doubts it. He didn’t want his guardian to ever look at him with disproving eyes. He had to make tonight perfect.

“It’s going to be alright Akihito…You’re going to do fine….” He murmured to himself.

“What are you doing? I do hope you will have composed yourself once all the guests arrive” a new voice suddenly intervened.

Whipping his head around, Akihito frowned and his brows furrowed. “What do you want?” he scowled at the newcomer – Kirishima Kei.

“I am here to check whether everything is in order…..whether you are in order” the secretary said, giving his glasses a push.

“I am in order, I am just preparing myself” Akihito barked back.

“Based on the attitude I am receiving, I doubt this night will end peacefully” the assistant predicted with a sigh.

“Shut up you!” Akihito shouted, rudely jamming his finger towards the bespectacled man’s face. “I can do it! You just watch!” he declared.

Kirishima stared at the finger in front of his face then pushed it aside. “Then I suggest you show some proper manners right now. Before you disappoint Takeo-sama and become his embarrassment.”

“He said I will never disappoint him” Akihito boasted.

“That is impossible” Kirishima responded. “Emotions are impossible to control.”

Akihito twitched at the response. The man was right. the man said exactly what he has been thinking and it annoyed him – it hit a nerve.

“Hmph, what do you know” Akihito muttered displeasingly under his breath. A moment of silence passed between the two of them, but Akihito soon broke the silence. “Well?” he asked.

Kirishima looked at the teen, questioningly.

“I asked you why are you here?” Akihito repeated his question.

“I said I am here to check –” Kirishima repeated but Akihito suddenly cut in.

“You’re not really here to check on me are you? I can see it on your face. You have something to say to me don’t you?”

 _At least the boy wasn’t clueless_ Kirishima thought inwardly to himself; he even felt a little bit impressed the teen actually sniffed out his hidden ambition.

“You’re correct, I do have some things to say to you” Kirishima said. “Do you realize currently, you are just a novelty?”

“What?” Akihito asked angrily.

“Takeo-sama is a human being, and like all human beings, he will tire of new things once something newer comes along.”

“That’s –” Akihito began.

“One day, he will tire of your character” Kirishima interrupted. “He will realize your briskness is a handful, and your outspokenness is a burden. Too much of anything can turn a good thing to a bad thing. Are you not afraid once he tires of your innocent naiveté, he will toss you out onto the streets once more?”

“I won’t change, not for anyone. Isamu said he loved these qualities of mine and he told me to never change” Akihito argued back.

“He says that now, but what about a few years down the road? There will definitely be hundreds of other factors affecting his opinion by then. And when that time come, what do you plan to do?” Kirishima asked. “Living in the highest of the classes is like living in an abyss. Your calls will fall mute to everything. There are so many men and women in this world that were told sweet words one moment, and thrown away, or even killed the next day.”

“…..” Akihito’s eyes widened. “What…?” he whispered in disbelief.

“Takeo-sama is a very handsome man; even you must know he has had his share or women and men. You have been living in this estate for half a year now. Tell me, have you seen anyone around here who could be his lover?” Kirishima asked.

Akihito shook his head.

“That’s because none of them lasted. He was attracted to them too at one point. He told them he loved their character, their body. But they commit one tiny mistake - they all hurt Takeo-sama - and the attraction disappeared. He tossed them away and he never looked back.”

“No!” Akihito shouted. “I’m different; I’m not like them at all!”

“Do you think they didn’t feel the same way? They didn’t feel special too?” Kirishima’s harsh words continued.

“Why…Why are you doing this to me? Why are you telling me all this? Is it so that I’ll mess up tonight’s dinner and have Isamu kick me out?” Akihito asked in a trembling voice as he tried his best to hold back the tears of frustration and fear. “A nobody like me – a commoner, a prostitute…to have received such favor and love from someone like Isamu…do you realize just how _precious_ it is to me? Do you really think I would do anything to harm him and his reputation? Do you know how _I_ feel towards him?”

“In this world…” Akihito continued. “How often do you think an encounter like mine and Isamu’s occur? Do you really think I’ll just give it all up because of a few words from you?” he cried out.

Kirishima looked deep into the child’s eyes. “I understand….” He said. “If you really won’t let go, then please forget this conversation. I know whatever I say won’t change your mind.”

“Change _my mind?!_ ” Akihito shouted. “Why change _my_ mind? Because my status is low – because I was a common prostitute – you think you can convince _me_ to leave? You think that I would listen to your reasoning’s and obediently leave because you’re oh so high above me? Why do you have to change _my_ mind? Why not change Isamu’s mind, or anyone else’s mind?” he cried out.

“Forget this conversation kid. I apologize, it was a mistake for me to have come here tonight” Kirishima said, not sounding a bit apologetic as he turned to leave.

“Wait!” Akihito shouted. “Why are you picking on me? If Isamu-san really does have so much men and women surrounding him, what’s one more to him? Is it because I’m a commoner? A male prostitute? A former addict? If I were an orphan from a former prestigious family, your views on me wouldn’t be the same would it” Akihito asked.

Kirishima paused in his steps. He slowly turned around to face the teen once more. “Yes” he replied.

Akihito was taken aback. As much as he appreciated truthful answers, there are some better left sugar-coated. He never imagined the assistant would be so blunt.

The assistant stepped forward. “Takeo-sama and most of the Asami family understands your frankness, your innocence, your purity, your past, but do you think all of Japan will?” the assistant asked. “If you continued your life in a regular family, all is well, but being adored by such elite men, do you really think your history won’t be investigated thoroughly? I know everyone has been telling you this: every guest tonight will be judging you and picking out mistakes in your every act, but those are just words. You have no idea how painful the real thing is. It is like millions of piranhas, slowly peeling off your skin and flesh, until you are naked to the bones. And when that time comes, you’re going to wish death over life.”

“Hoh?” Akihito laughed dryly. “So everything you’ve said up until now was actually all for my sake?”

“Everything I have said is the absolutely truth. I know your complete past. I know you have experienced the darkness, but even if you have experienced the darkness of society, you have merely been skimming it. The moment you entered into Takeo-sama’s world, you have stepped into both fortune and hell” Kirishima explained. “Takeo-sama is a role model – an image of Japan – and suddenly, he adopted a boy whose background is a completely blank. How will Japan view him? But you are correct, I am saying all this for your sake, but more so, for Takeo-sama’s sake.”

Kirishima went on. “How do you view his image? He isn’t just a common rich man with a big house and several hundred servants. He isn’t some government official or mayor. He is above all that. He belongs to everyone – all of Japan; not just himself. And because he is a ruler, he is not allowed to act on emotions alone. He cannot throw all the rules out the window for his emotions, much less for one small boy. He has responsibilities.”

“Shut up already!” Akihito shouted, shutting Kirishima up. “I know all that, I’ve figured it all out myself. And I know what you are getting at. I’m not suitable to be by his side, I know that too. I know everything you’ve talked about. I have a mind of my own. Do you think I wouldn’t have thought it over? How a former scum of society like me could possibly match him? So spare me your voluptuous attitude. If you have nothing else to say than please leave”  
Akihito’s shouted in a trembling voice, and without another word, the assistant disappeared from his sight.

Squatting down, Akihito wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his face into them. He tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill out but too much have accumulated already. At least he didn’t shed any tears in front of the proud assistant.

~~~~~

He didn’t know how long he has been crouching alone in the corner, with his face buried in his arms. He could hear the chitter chatter of the many men and women in the party hall and occasionally, he could hear Takeo’s voice, greeting his acquaintances.

Akihito knew he didn’t have much longer before the guests settled down with Takeo delivering his speech and introducing him, but now, he was shaking even worse than before. The words of that assistant completely destroyed his resolve. All of his preparations were completely drained away.

Suddenly, Akihito heard the familiar click clacking sounds of leather loafers. They were ones Takeo would wear occasionally – mostly for work. But whenever he heard the sound of those shoes hitting the floor from his room, it always told him his guardian was coming to see him.

The sound of the footsteps stopped in front of him. Akihito lifted his head up a little and saw the size eleven Italian loafers along with the hem of the long cotton, black dress pants.

 _Isamu-san…?_ Akihito thought to himself. Maybe he should tell the man he wasn’t feeling well, and have the party moved to another day. “Isamu-san…I-I don’t think….” he started.

“Don’t think what?” came the response. The voice didn’t belong to his guardian. It wasn’t as deep as his Isamu’s, and it wasn’t as rich as his Isamu’s. This voice sounded younger and crisper – less raspy.

Lifting his head up a little further, Akihito looked up and saw Asami Ryuichi staring down at him with rare golden-brown eyes. The dim lighting in the back of the room made the older man’s eyes glow even more. As if those eyes belonged to a wild cat at night.

“What do you want…?” Akihito asked bitterly.

“I came to see how you were doing” Asami said. “You have about thirty more minutes before Takeo makes his introductory speech.”

“……….” Akihito remained silent and buried his face back into his arms.

“Kirishima informed me he might have overstepped his boundaries a little. He was afraid he may have upset you” Asami said. “And from your current position, I see he may have said too much.”

“What are you doing here? Do you have things to say to me too?” Akihito muttered into his knees.

“Indeed I do.” Pulling a wooden chair resting against the wall towards him, Asami placed it in front of the depressed little boy and sat down. “It’s too late to back out now. Tonight’s event is happening whether you’re present or not. However, if you are not present, it may look pretty bad for you and Takeo.”

“I know dammit! It’s all that four eyed bastards fault!” Akihito accused. “He knew I would be a nervous wreck today and extremely insecure….but he just _had_ to go and say all those things…and worst of all…it’s all true…”

“What did he say to you?” Asami asked.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“I didn’t ask.” Asami replied.

“He just said that I was unsuitable and that Isamu-san will tire of me soon just like an old toy…” Akihito muttered as he sniffed his nose. “He said that I shouldn’t be in your world because I was a prostitute and an addict…”

Sighing, Asami rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Kirishima doesn’t know how to talk to children. He can be very straight forward when lecturing people” Asami said as he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Akihito.

“...I’m not a child…” Akihito pouted. He took the cloth offered to him and blew his nose. “I’m fourteen.”

Asami smirked. “If you aren’t a child, then you shouldn’t be feeling disheartened right now. Only children need to hear words coated with sweet sugar” he said gently as he lifted Akihito’s chin up to meet his face.

“……It’s not fair though. He knew how important tonight was and he knew that the spotlight will be on me. But he just couldn’t wait until everything was over before dropping that bomb on me…” Akihito complained. “But thinking back….when I was still attached to those drugs, I…I really want to cry. I wasn’t human back then…And you know what? Why would Isamu-san want someone as disgusting as me? Once he realizes this…it’ll all be over for me…”

Burying his head back into his arms again, Akihito let out a gentle sob. The past was crawling up into his heart again and it was contaminating it; changing it. He wanted nothing more than to jump into a hole and stay there.

Asami sighed at the sight in front of him. The little body trembled and cried in the presence of past ghosts. There were a few sniffs and hicks, but the boy muffled them.

Seeing the young teen shattering, Asami reached out and lifted one little hand into his large one and started massaging the palm and fingers in hopes of relaxing the young child.

“He will eventually tire of you if you continue to act like a heap of misery. He has told everyone how much he loves your cheerfulness and your colorful personality” Asami said. “I have known Takeo ever since I could remember, and never once have I seen him boast so happily and proudly about one person.”

Akihito slowly raised his head up to look into the older man’s eyes for any traces of lies, but he found none. “Really…..?” He asked in a soft, meek tone.

“Yes, really” Asami replied genuinely.

“What about all those lovers he had? Four eyes told me he would always give them praises, but he ended up tossing them aside anyway.”

“I have never heard him brag about how his woman was so adorable, lively, and genuine” Asami comforted as he reached out and gently massaged Akihito’s damp cheek with his thumb. “Those women were all the same: money and power hungry. They all eventually showed their true natures, and in the end it disappointed Takeo’s expectations.”

“But I’m new and refreshing too. Isamu-san, like you is of superior birth so he is used to a life where no one dares to say no to him. Don’t you think that after a while, he will tire of my character?” Akihito asked.

Asami chuckled softly at the comment. “Takeo is a man of reason. He shouldn’t make any decisions based on his emotions alone, which is why your adoption is such a huge issue. He has received many criticisms and threats. He has also lost quite a large sum of money because of you. So tell me, after he went through so much troubles and efforts to have you by his side; what makes you think he would just toss it all away?”

Akihito stayed silent as he continued to listen.

“Takeo described the period of withdraw as absolute hell. It would be a terrible waste of his resources, money, and time if he threw you away after the great effort he’s put in.” Asami explained. “Takeo knows you aren't born and bred in our world, so your actions are excusable. Since you are from the commoner’s class, I'm sure Takeo would like for you to keep some of your “common” traits. He already has enough people serving him with devotion, so keeping a refreshing little thing like you around is a way for him to relax.”

Akihito nodded slowly. He was beginning to feel much better. He had completely shut the details of his addict life out from his head after the withdrawal ended, which ultimately also sealed away the good deeds Takeo had done. How could he have forgotten such an important matter? If he really were a temporary thing, then why did Takeo go through all that trouble to help him? Thinking back into the past, Akihito felt guilty and stupid to have ever doubted his guardian.

“You should wash your face. I believe the guests are beginning to settle down” Asami said, checking his watch.

Akihito nodded and proceeded to stand up, but then he paused.

“What is it?” Asami asked, noticing the hesitation in the young teen’s action.

“Umm…I was just wondering, what do you think of your life? Do you like being a part of this high class world? I mean...if you weren’t born to be an Asami, would you wish for it?”

Asami paused and studied the boy’s face. The teen had asked quite the deep question. Should he be blunt like Kirishima? Or should he walk around the question and give the boy a more child-friendly answer? But one thing was for sure, unlike Kirishima, he knew how to talk to children.

“I don’t regret any part of my life currently, but, there were times in the past where I would ask myself what my life would be like if I were born into a normal family.” Asami started.

“Why?” Akihito asked.

“It is much easier to have nothing, than to have everything. Since I was born into this position, it is easier for me to handle” Asami explained. “Families with power and money will always have discord among its members, such as strife between siblings. Brothers and sisters who are willing to end each other’s lives for power; battles between mistresses and wives to bring success to their own kin; these things are far too common. Assassins are hired; underhanded tricks are used…there is no guarantee for a truthful relationship. I did believe at one point, commoner families are able to experience genuine affections, and I did once wish to experience that _normal_ life back then.”

Ruffling the teen’s hair, Asami stood up and offered his hand for Akihito to take. “Let’s get your face cleaned up. It’s almost time for you to make your appearance.”

Sliding his small hand into the much larger one, Akihito allowed Asami to lead him towards the restroom. The heat of the hand around his warmed his soul and relaxed his heart. He no longer felt any doubt towards his current situation or towards Takeo. Even if Takeo were to abandon him one day, it wouldn’t be in the present, it’ll be in the future, and the future was still far away.

Turning on the tap, Akihito splashed the lukewarm water onto his face; washing away all the dried up tears and mucus on his face. Once he finished, Asami handed him a fresh towel and some concealer.

“What’s this? Akihito asked, holding the tub of make-up in his hand.

“It’s concealer” Asami answered.

“This is for girls!” Akihito cried out as he shoved the concealer back towards Asami.

Asami chuckled. “Would you prefer going out with that red and puffy face?”

Turning his attention towards the mirror, Akihito saw his swollen eyes and a mess of a face. Why? He didn’t cry that much. The tears flew out like a thin stream, not a waterfall; he didn’t bawl his eyes out. So why did it look as if he has been sobbing for a week? Was the fear of being abandoned that great?

“How do I use this?” Akihito submitted.

Taking the tub of concealer out of the teen’s hand, Asami popped open the lid and dipped his fingers into the light, beige cream and scooped out a generous amount. “Hold still” he instructed as he began applying the liquid concealer first underneath the eyes, then the nose and lastly, the cheeks. His fingers gently massaged Akihito’s face as he worked to blend the make-up evenly throughout the boy’s skin. The child’s skin was soft and creamy, as if it still had its original baby fat. The soft texture felt pleasant on the tip of his fingers.

Giving the face one final wipe, Asami checked his handiwork under more natural light. Seeing the make-up blend smoothly into the boy’s skin, Asami put the lid back onto the tub and left it by the sink. “Are you ready? I think Takeo just started his speech.”

Akihito sucked in a generous amount of air and released it. He loosened his body and rolled his shoulders around to relax the muscles. “Yes” he stated confidently.

Asami smiled and reached out to give the teen’s hair one final ruffle, saying to him that it looked better messy, before taking the boy’s hand into his once more and leading him back. And sure enough, the party room had grown silent and Takeo was making his speech.

“This child has affected my life in more ways than I can imagine, and tonight, I hope for nothing more than to have you ladies and gentlemen, accept and love this boy as much as I have.”

The audience clapped as Takeo finished.

This was his cue.

 _Deep breath Akihito……deep breath….._ Inhaling one breath after another, Akihito tried to calm his racing heart, which was not pumping as intense as before.

“It’s going to be alright” a soothing, gentle tone came from Asami who was stroking the small of his back to ease his butterflies threatening to escape his stomach.

“It doesn’t matter whether they like you or not, you have already been acknowledged. You have nothing to fear. Just restrain yourself if tonight gets out of hand” Asami reassured and gave the teen a light push towards the entrance leading directly to the dining hall.

Taking one last breath, Akihito composed himself and pushed open the door.

The bright lights of the party hall blinded him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Akihito took a small step backwards, as if the illuminations were warding him away – not welcoming him into the room. Just as Akihito was about to take another step back, a gentle hand reached out for him – its long, manicured fingers wrapped around his upper arm – providing him balance and security.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times, Akihito slowly and gradually lifted the shields protecting his eyes and looked forward. There were so many eyes, all on him. The women and men in front of him were muttering into each other’s ears as they looked at him with studious dark brown orbs – judging him worthy or not.

Akihito felt his breath and heart tremble, and the butterflies fluttering more in the pit of his stomach. The number of people in the room was more than he had imagined. There had to be at least a few hundred present. He couldn’t remember the exact number. Suddenly, the names, the occupations and everything else Harashi-sensei had taught him – had him memorize – all completely flew out the window. He didn’t recognize any of the faces in the room. None of them looked like the pictures shown to him. 

He froze. His nerves froze, his cells froze, and his tissues froze. Everything froze, down to the last atom. His setta sandals were glued firmly to the ground he was currently standing on. And his tabi socks felt as if they have been sown into the tatami-styled sandals. He couldn’t move, and the room filled with men and women were expecting him to greet them.

“Akihito, take a deep breath. It’s going to be fine” the soothing, deep voice of his guardian sounded out next to his ear. “Tonight doesn’t have to be perfect, just smile and bow. That’s all you have to do. Leave everything to me. Remember, if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you.”

Akihito closed his eyes and allowed those words to cradle his soul and heart. He felt his body tremble once more, but this time, out of happiness. That’s right. He no longer had anything to fear. He completely trusted Takeo Isamu. Even if the man were to one day give him up, he would be completely fine with it because Takeo had already given him a reason and the strength to love life once again. And to him, nothing could be more precious.

“Good evening everybody, thank you very much for coming tonight. My name is Akihito and I am deeply honored to meet you all. I have been eagerly waiting for this evening just as you all have” Akihito’s trembling voice echoed throughout the large room packed with elites holding wine or champagne in their hands. Sucking in another breath, Akihito continued. “I understand my adoption and background has caused many disputes; however, even I cannot fully comprehend my past. It is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you all. But please do not fluster and worry. I will definitely not lose my grace and bring embarrassment to anyone of you good people here tonight.”

Getting a shaky breath escape him, Akihito closed his eyes and bowed. He felt relieved that he was able to deliver his speech so perfectly. There were some slips and mistakes, but it still sounded like how he had written it.

The audience in front of him clapped lightly as a sign of welcome – accepting him into their exclusive world. He did it. He really did it. Everything was going according to plan so far. No one in the audience seemed to have disapproved him. Now, all that is left is to go around with Takeo to greet every guest in the room one on one and he would be home safe.

The guests went back to socializing with each other, where most of their topic of conversation has changed to him. Whatever they were saying, Akihito didn’t know, but he didn’t mind at all. He now had the strength to stand on his own two feet, and he had pillars to support him.

“That was perfect Akihito, you were great” Takeo praised.

“What did I tell you Isamu, he is indeed a very smart boy, so don’t underestimate him” Asami Raiju’s said as he rose from his seat. But Akihito couldn’t help but feel that the man was hinting at something.

Takeo smiled and took Akihito’s hand. “Come. We have many people to meet.”

~~~~~

“How many more are there? My feet is starting to hurt” Akihito stood up on his tippy toes to whisper his complaint into Takeo’s ears.

It has been two hours since his entrance, and all he has been doing is bowing and handing out “hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” but he was not pleased at all. So far, not a single one of them looked at him like Takeo did. The looks he received rivalled the looks Kirishima Kei gave him. But then again, even that man approved of him a little. Not to mention, Kirishima Kei didn’t hide his dislike toward him behind a mask. In fact, Akihito was starting to respect the four-eyed man’s straightforwardness; but he still hated him.

“About twenty more?” Takeo estimated. Akihito groaned. Maybe he should make up an excuse, like he has to pee or something. But what if the guests use that as an excuse to attack him? Something like: “What bad manners to leave the guests unattended?” He didn’t want to take that chance. He might as well shut his eyes and endure, like he has always done before.

“Akihito” Takeo said and Akihito looked up and noticed his guardians attention was elsewhere – was towards Asami Raiju. The large thunder beast sitting in the front of the room no longer looked jolly like a sweet grandpa, but supported a more serious and commanding expression. This alarmed Akihito.

“Akihito, I know I promised I would be beside you though all this but I must leave you alone for a few minutes. Please forgive me.”

“It’s alright, go. It looks very serious; I’ll be fine by myself. If everything fails, I’ll just shed some fake tears” Akihito said cheekily. He clenched his hand into a fist and showed it to Takeo, indicating how strong he was now.

Takeo chucked and ruffled his hair. “Thank you Akihito. I will be right back, I promise” he said and ran out of the room with Asami Raiju following him.

Akihito stared after the man until he could no longer see his guardian and he had to admit, it broke his heart a little that he no longer had a shield to protect him. But he had to prove he was not the same weak, broken little boy Takeo first met. He had to prove to Kirishima Kei that he was worthy of everything bestowed upon him. And he had to prove to everyone in this room that he was worthy of Takeo’s praises.

When the last trace of Asami Raiju’s shadow disappeared from the room, Akihito felt completely exposed. He no longer had any protection around him. He knew that, and so did the hundreds of guests in the room. The moment Takeo and the elder Asami disappeared, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Akihito didn’t know what it was, but he felt a sudden chill blowing his way and an unpleasant eerie feeling, as if he had been thrown into a deep, dark pit inhabited by thousands of starving rats.

“My my my…Takeo-sama sure is luck to have gotten a pretty one” a woman giggled as she stepped forward from the crowd and brushed her hand over his face. “You don’t know how luck you are do you little boy? There are quite a high number of ugly and deformed whores out there.”

Akihito felt something stab his chest. “I-I do know how lucky I am! And I’m not a whore!” Akihito cried out, and then quickly remembered that arguing back will only worsen his position. He saw the guards around the room trying to make their way to him, and suddenly, Akihito noticed he was now surrounded. The guests weren’t anywhere near him, but their venomous intentions were crawling all over his body – paralysing him almost. Their poison was strong enough to repel even the largest of the guards.

“How much did Takeo-sama pay for you? “Adoption fees” are expensive these days. It must have been enough to purchase a brand new BMW” a man from behind him called out, but Akihito couldn’t see his face.

Akihito spun his head around, trying to find out where the voices were coming from. The poison emitted from the guests slowly pushed him back, and trapped him in a corner of the room against the wall. 

All of the men and women he had greeted and had yet to greet stood around the room like before, and one by one, they all walked up and greeted him like he did with them, but instead of “nice to meet you” he received nothing but insults. The men and women knew they couldn't get physical with him so they maintained their distance, and hit him with venomous words.

“Takeo-sama really is a saint to have adopted you” an old lady from the crowd of people stepped out and said.

“He is a saint” Akihito snapped back. “He is the most generous person I have ever met.”

“Too bad though. No matter how much you are accepted, the proof that you are not a blood relative is painfully obvious” the old lady said with a disgusting smile.

“What do you mean” Akihito asked, trying his best to swallow his rising anger.

“You look nothing like him my child!” the old lady responded with surprise in her tone. “Goodness, did you actually believe you looked like Takeo-dono? Did you actually try to look like him?” the old lady laughed as if the thought was the most absurd thing on the face of the planet.

“You…” Akihito grunted and glared at the old hag, but then he noticed gossip about possible “anger problems.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Akihito composed himself. “Madam, I know I am not a Takeo by blood, but men are not merely related to blood relatives. I have learned two types of relationships. Relationships tied by blood, and relationships tied by water. Blood relations may be thick and strong, but relationships tied by water are pure and light. Blood tend to get messy, but water washes away the mess. So I am proud of my relationship with Isamu-sama.”

The old lady furrowed her brows and glared at him, she looked like she wanted to yell and lecture him, but it seems she knew better then to do that.

“Humph, where is Kaede ojou-sama? Why is she not present? Her poetry reading last year was captivating; her accent, pronunciation…everything was perfect. Oh how I wish she was here to host instead” the old lady said out loud for all to hear as she turned her attention away from Akihito. The hag must have thought he was a stupid, cheap bimbo, but he clearly understood her indirect attack.

“Now now oba-sama” another voice entered into the ring, and out from the crowd, came a younger looking gentleman Akihito had yet to meet. “Calm yourself. This little lord makes a very good point. Water is cleaner than blood.”

Akihito felt his heart race. Was someone willing to stand up for him?

“But you shouldn’t have brought up Kaede ojou-sama. It’ll put ideas into his head. He might think the virtuous lady is really his sister.”

Akihito’s heart sank.

“You _do_ know she isn’t your real sister right?” the man asked in a mocking tone.

Akihito felt a tiny bit of dampness in his fist as his nails dug deeper into his palms. He was beginning to draw blood. Where was Takeo? Where was Asami? Raiju or Ryuichi? Where was Kujo or any of the guards? He was completely alone and unshielded. He was being attacked from all angles and he had no way to win. All he could do was continue to be the good little boy he was trained to be just for this night.

Should he shed a few fake tears? Fuck no; that will only add fuel to their fire. But he couldn’t ruin this night. It was too important. Not for him, but for Takeo Isamu.

“Really, I don’t think I could ever understand Takeo-dono’s justification for this adoption. I for one can never fall in love with someone I didn’t give birth to…” the old woman sighed as she took a sip of her champagne.

Akihigo cringed. When did he become such a weakling? Why was he just standing still and enduring all this? He no longer needed to endure. Those dark days were gone; Takeo had promised him he need not endure anymore, because if the sky falls, he now has someone to hold it up for him. Screw it. They were all monsters; every one of them. This was clearly harassment and discrimination. These suck ups showed their true faces the moment Takeo and Asami left. These people liked kissing asses, and even though he was closest to the power, he rank in their eyes fell below that of pets. 

He was a fighter god dammit. 

“Hoh?” Akihito laughed dryly. “Then I’m presuming you gave birth to your husband?”

Akihito lifted his head, with a cheeky smirk on his face and stared confidently into the valley of the monsters. The fire was already lit, not by him, but he might as well play with it. Not to mention the great satisfaction he got when the old harridan became speechless from his counter attack, evident from her hanging mouth. If it was verbal jabs, he can definitely win. 

“You…you…” the old lady angrily stuttered. And without another word, the hag charged up to him and threw her hand right across his face.

Akihito cried out at the impact and quickly covered his weeping cheek. The few guards stationed across the room became more aggressive with their attempts to push through the crowd of people. They began shouting and throwing guests out of their way. Akihito saw Kujo, along with Kirishima Kei and another, large tall man with blond hair, whom he recognized as Asami Ryuichi’s men, trying to push their way towards him, but the number of guests still outnumbered them all

“You bitch!” he screamed. This was his fight, he needed to prove he was strong, and if this was the only way he could then so be it. “You actually dare hit me? Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?” Akihito shouted and not sparing another second, he threw his right fist directly between the old lady’s eyes.

The old lady flew back, literally. Her feet sweep off of the floor and she landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Akihito wasn’t strong; the old lady was too small and light.

“Hey!” Suddenly, the old lady’s husband, out of nowhere showed up and grabbed him by his kimono collar. 

“What the fuck did you just do you little shit? Don’t you know who we are? I’ll have your head!”

“Fine! But when I meet god and he asks me if I have done anything good in my lifetime, I’ll tell him I did _this_ ” Akihito cried out and bravely brought his knee up and nailed the man right in the jewels.

 _Another one down._

The other men and women in the room grew more rowdy, and many even tried to control him. They would try to grab him, or hold him down, but he was quick. Suddenly, the moves Akihito had acquired during his pocket picking days returned to him. They were a little rusty, but never less, they were there.

He felt his body fly as he showed these hypocrites who was boss. They thought common people were unsavoury, but it seems to him, people of the elite classes were even more unsavoury; manners his ass. The only manners these beasts knew were how to “elegantly” insult a poor child who just came out of withdrawal.

Just as a hand reached out in an attempt to grab him, another hand shot out and grabbed it by the wrist and twisted it until it made a cracking sound. Akihito heard that sound before, it was the sound of bones being broken. Back at the brothel, the owner would often break the legs of disobedient girls or boys to prevent them from running away from either the brothel or the customers. And sometimes, if the customer pays enough money, the owner would break a leg or arm just for the customer’s sick fetish.

The man who attempted to grab him hollered out in pain and everyone gasped. There stood in front of him, the very man who disapproved of his current position, defending him. Kirishima Kei gave the man’s wrist another twist, causing even more pain.

“Open your eyes and look at who this boy is. He is _Takeo_ Akihito. Have you all forgotten?” the glassed man shouted, silencing everyone in the room.

“To have actually stooped so low as to hit a Takeo; it seems you are all tired of living” Kirishima continued. “Let me inform you ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, not only will you all have to answer to Takeo Isamu-sama, but you will also answer to Asami Raiju-sama!”

The crowd began looking flustered and scared at the two names announced and Akihito’s eyes widened in shock. Just the mentioning of those two names was enough to hold back the entire army. Just what kind of a world did he step into?

“Not only did you all dare to attack a member of Takeo’s family, you all dare to do it in his very home. Have you all forgotten where you were?” a new voice came from the door away and everyone turned their attention towards it. “All those present tonight did not regard the boy, but you also did not regard his higher-ups.” There by the door, stood Asami Ryuichi, with a fresh cigarette in his mouth, and his tie loosened around his neck.

“Asami-sama…” “Asami-sama…” the crowded muttered as the man made his way towards Akihito.

“Asami-sama! This boy clearly needs to be severely punished! He is an uncouth, lawless wild child. Are you saying his behavior is acceptable?” the man Akihito kneed in the balls cried out and the rest of the room muttered out their agreement.

“True, but who was the one who first began the attack?” Asami questioned and the room grew quiet once more. “Tonight, as long as I am here, I will allow no one to raise his or her hand in violence inside the Takeo estate. If anyone dares – no matter whom – they must take me down first.”

A huge wave of fear and realization struck the room. The men and women in the room all took a step back and lowered their heads. Akihito saw some of them tremble, but he too was trembling. Asami Ryuichi was emitting such a powerful and commanding aura that it surprised him to the point of fear. The man did annoy him a little, but Akihito enjoyed their little encounters. There was a type of warmth and kindness to Asami Ryuichi that attracted him. And this sudden change in personality surprised him. But now he understood what Takeo meant when he said the Asamis’ knew how to balance kindness and sternness.

Akihito shivered as he witness the power this one man showed. It wasn’t his status or name that made him powerful, it was the person himself. All Asami had to do was say a few words and harden his eyes, and the entire room submitted. It was surreal.

Asami looked over at Kirishima, who finally let the man go, and gave him a nodded.

Understanding his boss’s silent order, Kirishima stepped up and spoke “All the guests here tonight will not leave until either Takeo Isamu-sama or Asami Raiju-sama have assigned the suitable punishment. And for those who dared to raise their hand against _Takeo_ Akihito-sama will be given no room for forgiveness” the assistant finished, and Akihito could clearly see the panic and fear racing across each and every one’s faces; especially the old lady’s, who was still cupping her bleeding nose.

Suddenly, a scream stretched across the room. Following the source of the scream, Akihito saw a man race across the room, pushing guests out of his away, and towards the door, only to be grabbed and stopped by one of Asami’s men Akihito remembered as Suoh Kazumi.

Soon, several men and women began to run towards the door in fear of their fate. Slowly, a small crowd built up by the entrance and the few guards stationed by the door tired their best to hold them back.

“Hey!” Kirishima shouted when he saw one man fall onto his hands and knees in an attempt crawl out of the hall. 

The assistant raced up to the man and grabbed him by the back of the suit and yanked the man to his feet. The two of them fought for a while, with the man screaming that he didn’t want to die.

Akihito watched as Kirishima tried his best to wrestle with the man. The two of them were about equal, but fear added several pounds to strength. The man kicked at Kirishima’s two legs, trying to weaken the stance, and it was working. With the massive amount of people in the room, the assistant couldn’t display his skills properly and was at a huge disadvantage. Kirishima tried to knee the man in the stomach, but kept missing. Suddenly, the man tackled Kirishima’s leg, grabbed it, rose in the air, and lifted the assistant up over his shoulders and threw him onto a nearby table. Kirishima cried out at the impact when his back and the party table connected. 

The glasses and plates on the table shattered and made its way into the assistance’s flesh. The table legs wobbled and soon enough, it collapsed, causing more of the broken shards to penetrate into the assistant’s skin.

Akihito gasped out. He didn’t know what to do. Everything was happening so fast. But he did know one thing. He had completely ruined everything.

One quarter of the guests were in a complete panic while the rest were frozen in place. He had nailed a man in the balls and an old lady right in the face. The insults, he wasn’t sorry for, but he knew they would not boil well with Takeo’s now plummeting reputation. And not only that, the guards were getting hurt. If only he could just have stomached the insults – restrained himself like Asami Ryuichi had suggested – none of this would be happening right now.

Suddenly, the back doors of the room slammed hard against the wall and a loud, booming voice echoed throughout the entire room. “What is going on!”

And all guests, guards, Asami Ryuichi, and Akihito froze entirely and turned towards the voice.

By the door way, stood both Asami Raiju and Takeo Isamu, glaring. Both looked angry. Their brows were furrowed, and their lips were in the shape of a frown. But once again, what frightened Akihito the most was the pressuring aura the two gave out. It was a completely different side of the two powerful men he thought he knew and he was not used to it.

Akihito whimpered when Takeo quickly strode towards him with anger emitting from every pore. He saw small speckles of blood on the older man’s white dress shirt, which enhanced his fear even more. He flinched when the elder man lifted his hand up, but all Takeo did was touch his reddened cheek and pulled him close.

“Who did this?” Takeo growled.

“I-Isamu-san…I-I’m so sorry….I c-couldn’t….” Akihito stuttered, trying his best to hold back his tears. “I have been through…a lot. My life before was harsh….but I have never actually been slapped before…I just got so angry…so angry…and all those insults…”

Akihito whimpered when Takeo’s hold on him tightened. He didn’t dare look up, but he knew the man was menacingly angry. 

“Who slapped him” Takeo hollered. No one answered. Then his attention shifted to Kirishima who was still lying on the broken table, surrounded by shards of glass and porcelain. “How did Kirishima end up like that!” he shouted. “No one is leaving until I get my answers! Those who dare to escape, I will shoot their legs!”

Akihito trembled under Takeo’s anger. The anger wasn’t directly at him, but it was still fearful. 

And as if he felt the fear, Takeo, pulled the boy close to his chest and circled his arms around him, giving him protection and comfort.

“Akihito, who hit you?” Takeo asked again, but in his usual soft, soothing tone this time. Akihito looked up into concerned, yet angry eyes.

“I-It’s my fault…I said too much so….” Akihito trailed off, evading the question.

Takeo took his eyes off of Akihito and met Asami Ryuichi’s, who eyed him, then the old lady with the broken nose.

Handing Akihito over to Kujo, Takeo slowly walked towards the old lady. “Kobayashi, Maruyama” he called to the two guards barricading the entrance. “Please escort Miyake-san from the diner hall to the back, and take the tongue.”

“Sir” the two men bowed and proceeded towards the woman who was trembling terribly on the party room floor.

“Wait!” Akihito cried out and rushed in between the two guards and the old lady, acting as a temporary shield. “Isamu-san, that’s too much!”

“Akihito, step aside” Takeo ordered as he walked towards his special boy.

Feeling his fear increase, Akihito forced himself to remain composed. Never had Takeo ordered him, or addresses him in such a cold, harsh tone. He understood the man was angry with what had happened, but no matter what the old lady was still an old lady. The punishment was too cruel.

“Isamu-san please…” Akihito said as he clenched his hands into Takeo’s suit jacket. “We both came off too strong. This is too cruel; she’s just an old lady. Look at her, she’s so frightened. Please show mercy…”

“Akihito, do not plea mercy for her. You are not her first victim. Last year, her words and actions forced a maid into suicide. She is rotten to the core” Takeo firmly stated. “There is no need to feel pity towards her. Take her away!” he ordered.

“No stop!” Akihito cried out and the two guards froze at his command much to Akihito’s surprise. But then again, as a Takeo, his words now held power.

“Isamu-san, you’re picking on an old lady, and it is making you look really bad…and…and” Akihito stammered as he struggled to think of something to calm the older man. “You know, during those days…when I was…you know…I feared violence. I would always get hit, punished…anything. But in the end those physical punishments didn’t teach me a thing. It only enhanced my hate and anger. Before I met you, I have encountered lots of people who were able to swallow their anger and hatred and just forgive. I’m the type to get revenge when I am wronged, but I just couldn’t help but admire those who can easily forgive and let go…and also….also as a legal guardian, isn’t it your responsibility to set a good example? How can you expect me to grow up into a respectful adult if you’re setting such a bad example in front of me right now?”

Takeo’s eyes widened and the anger in his eyes disappeared and was replaced with surprise. Even the eyes of both Asami men were dancing with surprise and amusement.

Suddenly, Asami Raiju’s deep, booming voice burst out into a hearty laugh. His laugh was warming and powerful and it shook the entire room. “I’ve underestimated the boy” he said, still chuckling. “He’s a little minx isn’t he? He is indeed very smart! He has outsmarted you Isamu!”

Takeo let out a sigh and a chuckle. He gives up. He completely loses to the boy in front of him. The kid was too cunning and he was getting too old.

“Alright alright….” He said, patting Akihito’s head. Turning his attention back towards the old lady, Takeo spoke. “Akihito just said a mouthful just to intercede for you” Takeo said to the woman, and then he looked up at the crowd in his dining hall. “For all of you!” he shouted to them. “Today only, for Akihito’s sake, I will spare you all, but don’t think there will be a next time.”

An audible sigh of relief washed over the room, and some of the guests even broke down crying.

“Humph, why are you all standing there like vegetables? Hurry up and show your gratitude towards the boy. He just saved all of your hides” Asami Raiju shouted to the crowd of people and suddenly, all the ladies and gentlemen’s in the room bowed, and some even fell to their knees, thanking Akihito for his grace, and thanking Takeo for his mercy.

“Now get out of my house and go and reflect on your mistakes” Takeo ordered, and every men and women in the room slowly made their way out of the estate.

“Thank you for listening to me” Akihito quietly said, and Takeo embraced the boy.

“How is Kirishima doing?” Takeo asked.

One of the guards has already disappeared with the crowd to fetch the doctor while the few others tried to help Kirishima to his feet, but the man just cried out in pain.

“Takeo-sama, I think he hurt his back” one of the guards informed.

Within seconds, the doctor entered the room and rushed right to the assistant’s side. After a few physical tests, the doctor pulled out his clipboard and scribbled down some instructions. “Takeo-sama, he will be fine, but he will require a minor operation so we need to get him to the hospital.”

“Operation?” Asami Ryuichi interjected.

“Yes sir. He has hurt his back. We need to ease the pressure off of his spine by making a circular incision on his lower back” the doctor explained.

“It’s not dangerous?”

“Not at all, it is a very common operation” the doctor said. “I just need to fill out this form for you to take to the hospital” the doctor said as he scribbled onto his clip board. “Give this to the receptionist and they will have him in the operation room in no time” the doctor handed Takeo the slip.

~~~~~

Akihito swung his legs back and forth as he sat in the hospital waiting area with Takeo, Kujo, Suoh Kazumi and the two Asami men while reading the latest issue of Jump magazine. _Damn, does Kenpachi Zaraki kick ass or what?_

After the doctor informed them Kirishima will be fine, the men helped the assistant onto his feet and led him slowly towards the car. Takeo had told Akihito to stay at home, but the restless teen didn’t want to be left alone. Not until he has made sure Takeo wasn’t angry with him anyway.

It has been nearly two hours since Kirishima entered into surgery and so far, no news has come yet.

During the entirety of the wait, Akihito had been apologizing to Takeo for ruining the most important night ever; only to be comforted by everyone around him telling him what he did was righteous and brave. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt off of his chest. He also felt a little guilty that Kirishima Kei was now in operations because of all this, but that didn’t shake off the dislike he had towards the assistant. He still haven't forgotten the man’s attitude towards him.

“Gentlemen” a doctor carrying a clipboard walked towards them and Takeo stood up.

“How is he?” he asked, and Akihito didn’t miss the hint of concern the older man had in his voice.

“Relax Takeo-san, Kirishima-san is fine, his back is fixed….” The doctor trailed off.

“What is it?” Takeo asked, not missing the slight hesitation in the doctor’s tone. “Did something go wrong?  
Wasn’t it supposed to be a common and easy operation?”

“Yes well…it seems someone tampered with the instructions your doctor gave us…or perhaps the doctor made an error” the doctor said and handed the clipboard with the form on it to Takeo.

“Either way, as you can see, someone changed the words circular incision into……..circumcision….”

Asami Ryuichi’s eyes widened in surprise, Suoh Kazmui and Kujo’s mouth’s dropped opened, while Asami Raiju tried to hold back a laugh, but all Takeo could see was the messy hand writing that belonged to a young kid, and the devious little smile Akihito was attempting to hide behind the thick magazine the boy had in his hands.

_Teach that nerd to mess with me!_

He wasn’t the type to let bygones be bygones.


	9. Sedate into Haven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder is property of yamane ayano. Information about Tokyo Disneyland taken from their official website.
> 
> Warning: unedited, oc, ooc, au

**

Chapter 8 Sedate into Haven

**

 

“The test results arrived today.”

“…And?”

“Probability of match is 99.3%.”

“……….”

~~~~~

“How much longer until we reach Shinjuku?" Akihito asked from the back seat of the Mercedes.

"Another half hour" Kujo replied, not taking his eyes off the road. If even a scratch were to appear on the new member of the Takeo clan, his master wouldn't hesitate even a millisecond in putting a bullet through his head; or emptying the entire load into his body. Takeo Isamu was no better than the Asamis' really. Both creatures were cruel and cold blooded bastards. They blow warm one second and without even a warning, they blow cold. He knows about Takeo's true personalities, but his little master Akihito didn't. That boy only witness the warm side of the man, never the cold; however, during the introductory party, Takeo's inner beast surfaced, and even though it was only the top skin, the man actually dared to bring out his inner beast and bloodlust in front of his precious ward. He wasn't surprised Takeo lashed out in front of the young teen though. After all, the four assassination attempts had put the elder man in a foul mood; not to mention the harassment that occurred at the party during his absence. 

Yes, assassination attempts. None of them made it into the court yard. However, even the thought of someone or some people – whether they were doing it to protect Takeo's reputation or to protect their own meaningless pride – wanting to put Akihito to death raged Takeo. He didn’t know what his boss did to the assassins, but it was probably something physiologically damaging and scaring because death in his master’s eyes was too merciful. 

"Are we there yet?" Came the question again. It seems the boy can't stand even the littlest restriction, and that included sitting in a car for an hour. 

"Not yet Akihito, about twenty minutes more" Kujo replied.

Finally, Akihito was finally able to get Kujo to address him without an honorific. He had pleaded with Takeo that he felt uncomfortable with Kujo, or anyone acting so formal around him. He wanted to be Kujo's friend; Kujo's buddy, but the _-sama_ was getting in his way. After flashing the big eyes and the pouty lips, Takeo 'gifted' Kujo to him as his personal servant, meaning Kujo must follow his every order; although Takeo was still the bigger fish. 

Along with Kujo, Takeo also gave him his own room - which was more like a penthouse than an actual room - within the estate and two pretty maids to serve him. Akihito honestly couldn't believe where his life was currently. He couldn't never get used to having a servant, let alone three. Technically, he too, was a slave before, so how could he accept servants? But Takeo insisted. So instead of a master to servant relationship, they were to be family, which means they are to never address him as Akihito-sama. It took some pressure and temperaments, but eventually, the perfectly trained ladies and guard broke and he became the ring leader in their little gang. 

"So what is there to see in Shinjuku?" Akihito asked.

"....There's a toy museum” Kujo replied.

"Do I look like I play with toys? I know I'm still a kid but I'm not that little."

"Well, if you don't mind the ride, Disneyland is less than an hour away" Kujo suggested. 

"What's Disneyland?"

"It’s an amusement park. There are rides and games there" Kujo briefed. "It's an attraction for all ages."

Akihito pondered for a moment "...Do you think Asami-san will take me there?"

Today, Kujo was driving him up to Shinjuku for a day with Asami Ryuichi. He has been told to further his relationship with those close to the family like the Asamis', and the first on his list was Asami Ryuichi. It seems Asami Raiju and his guardian saw some sort of spark between him and Asami Ryuichi. The two old men were chatting away, saying he and Asami Ryuichi were like brothers. Akihito has no idea how the two men saw brotherhood between the two of them, but they did. 

Takeo told him to hang out with the young businessman more; saying that he will be a good influence on the younger Asami, and vice versa. But Akihito had no idea what he and Asami can do together. They were a whole generation apart and Asami seemed like the composed, calm type, not the type he liked to hang out with. He liked people who were wild and fun and free; people who would scream to the sky when they are happy and sob when they are sad. Bottom line, he liked to hang out with people who are open with their emotions and thoughts. Not Asami Ryuichi. That man was hard to read, like his father. Even when he’s amused, Asami would simply show it through a smirk or a light chuckle; at least with his father, Asami Raiju, would laughed out loud when he is truly amused. Asami Ryuichi just seemed like a closed person who didn't allow much people in.

It was going to be pretty awkward to spend a whole day with the man. What can they talk about? Academically, he was way below average. He didn't know any famous historical figures, his language lacks structure, and he was too young. Asami Ryuichi was brought up with the best materials money could buy. His education was elite, his language was flawless, and he has had so much experience in the real world. But more importantly, today is a weekday. The man is probably working in his office, so that means, he'll have to sit awkwardly in the office, watching Asami. 

"We're here" Kujo said as he pulled into an underground parking garage. Akihito watched his guard dispense a couple of coins into the machine and took the card that came out of it.

"What is that?" Akihito asked, pointing at the card. 

"It's the parking ticket. We're not allowed inside or out without one" Kujo replied, handing the card to Akihito for the boy to see. 

Akihito took the card and read the printed words. He can pretty much recognize most words he comes across now, unlike before. The intense lessons Harashi forces him through were paying off.

Once the car pulled into a spot, Kujo got out the front seat and opened the back door for Akihito to step out. The parking lot was pretty much empty but Akihito could see a limo and a BMW parked directly across from them. Those must be Asami's car. 

"This way Akihito" Kujo guided him towards the elevator. 

"So what does Asami-san do for a living?" Akihito asked as he stepped into the elevator. 

"He is a business man – a CEO" Kujo replied, pushing the close button.

"Is that all? He seems kinda shady, like the guys who came into the brothel I used to live in. He must do something else" 

Kujo was slightly surprised the kid picked up on that, but then again, this kid did have exposure to the underworld before. Not to mention children tend to be more sensitive to these things than adults. But on the surface, the Asamis, and the Takeo's' were all legitimate business personnels, and that was all Akihito needed to know right now. 

"I am not entirely certain of Asami-sama's calling since I do not work for him" Kujo lied, but it was partially true, he didn't know for certain what Asami Ryuichi did, but he had a basic clue. 

"Fine, I guess that'll give us something to talk about" Akihito mumbled as he stepped out of the elevator when it reached the top. 

The place was very modern and clean; lots of metallic and pastel colors - very calming. There was a lot of glass around, huge pieces that reached the ceiling, glistening and reflecting the sun's rays. The doors were carved out of dark cherry wood, adorned with pretty regal patterns, and the floors were covered with fine marble slabs. This definitely seemed like a place Asami Ryuichi would work in. 

"This way" Kujo guided. 

As they walked through the floor, a few men and women greeted them warmly. Did they know who he was now? Or were they just being friendly? Either way, it made him feel welcomed.

Once they reached the office with Asami's name plate framed to the side, Kujo knocked twice and the door opened almost immediately. There stood in the doorway was Suoh Kazumi. 

"Come in Kujo, Takeo-sama" the giant said with a bow directed toward Akihito; and a small bow for Kujo. 

"Please call me Akihito, or you'll make me feel uncomfortable" Akihito requested.

"Certainly Akihito-sama"

"Just Akihito" Akihito said, a little firmer this time. 

".....of course Akihito-kun" Souh replied and allowed the two to step inside the office. 

The room was very quiet, the only sound heard was that of pages being turned, which made Akihito remember the intense lessons and reading Harashi-sensei makes him go through every day from morning till noon. 

"What cha doin?" Akihito asked from the entrance, breaking the silence. 

Looking up from the leather bonded folder, Asami smirked at the boy in his door way and gestured for him to come inside.

"So what are you doing?" Akihito asked again as he walked towards the leather sofa in the middle of the office and flopped down. 

"Looking over business proposals" came the simple reply. 

"Oh.....what kind of proposals?" 

"Partnerships, business deals, just the typical" Asami said, returning his attention back to his paperwork.

"Can I see?" Akihito asked.

Asami looked up again with one brow raised. “Do you think you'll understand?" He asked.

"I can try. I can recognize over five hundred characters now you know" Akihito informed as he walked towards the desk. 

Tilting the folder towards Akihito, Asami watched as the young teen curiously glossed over the papers in his book. 

"Do you know what it says?" Asami asked after a couple of seconds.

"Ummmm, a partnership...and 30% profits.....firearm?" Akihito read out loud.

Of course the kid would recognize that word.

"So you do do black-market business!" Akihito cried out, impressed with himself. "I knew it!"

"You knew it?" Asami replied with a light chuckle. 

"Well yeah, it was pretty obvious."

"Explain" Asami asked as he rested his head on his fist and the amusement in his eyes dancing accurately to every beat. 

"Well...I mean, you just are, it's written all over you that you're not...legal..." Akihito mumbled.

Asami nodded. "So it is your instincts that is telling you I am a dangerous man?" rewording Akihito's scattered words. 

"Yeah something like that."

"Fair enough" Asami said, opening the folder again. "I laid out some books and games for you over at the table. There's food and drinks just outside in the staff kitchen. Help yourself."

So this was going to be his whole day? Just sitting on the sofa, eating and reading? And maybe slip in a cards game or board game now and then? Akihito wasn't going to lie; he wasn't too pleased with the schedule. He had actually hoped Asami would take him out and explore the city. Or the two of them could talk. He does enjoy their conversations. Talking to someone older has always been entertaining because they were more knowledgeable about the world, thus they are able to carry conversations. 

"Hey ummm..." Akihito started again, not wanting their conversation to end. "Where's glasses guy?"

"If it's Kirishima you are referring to, he is still recuperating from the...circumcision" Asami replied, not looking up from the folder. 

"It's already been two weeks, how long does he need?" Akihito asked, secretly trying to hold back a snicker. 

"Having the foreskin removed from ones genital is more painful than you think. He is still in great pain." 

"Well you know what? He'll have a lower chance of getting STDs, infections...cancer too! So he should be thanking me. I've made him healthier and may have just expanded his life. And let's not forget, he'll last longer in bed, so his love life will definitely improve!" Akihito defended himself.

Asami lifted a brow and chuckled. "Where did you learn all this? I'm certain Harashi would never teach you this."

"The owner at my old brothel would always get her male prostitutes circumcised so they'll last longer in bed with our female customers." Akihito explained. "When it comes to sex, I'm the expert. I lived in a brothel all my life after all. I was always exposed to these kinds of things"

"Oh really?" Asami smirked at the child’s arrogance as he put the folders in a pile off to the side. "Have you ever experienced sex?" 

"Well.....technically.....no.....but I've seen it happen many times so I know how it goes. I know what girls like and also what guys like when they're in bed." 

"But the real thing is as different as night and day. It is completely different from theory. Though I'm surprised to learn you are still a virgin. Did you not get sold as a sex slave?” 

"Sure, but he was old and... _Impotent_ " Akihito explained. 

"I see" Asami said. He knew not to probe further into the boy's past. After all, some old shadows still lingered on, not to mention Takeo would be damn pissed if he dug it up. 

Seeing another conversation quickly ending, Akihito hurriedly thought of another topic before Asami had the chance to return to his folders. "What about you Asami-san? Are you a virgin?" 

Akihito heard Kujo – who was chatting with Suoh at the back of the room – choke on something he was drinking. But now, he could actually feel the amusement excising from Asami’s eyes now.

"What do you think?" Asami asked as he relaxed into his chair. Clearly the boy's intentions were to get his attention away from the folders and onto him.

"I'm guessing no but......do you have a girlfriend?" Akihito asked.

"No" Asami said as he crossed his fingers together and rested it on his stomach. 

"Shouldn't you have one? I mean you're not getting much younger."

Asami chuckled. "Then perhaps I should start looking" he teases.

"Wait...don't tell me...you have a boyfriend?" Akihito cried out. 

"Do I look like I have one?"

"I don't know...From what I’ve observed in the past, most good looking guys tend to be gay…and well, you’re not bad…but just tell me!" Akihito complained.

"Fufu, no I don't" Asami replied, feeling a little flattered to be praised by the fourteen year old. After all, children are often very blunt and honest.

"But shouldn't someone your age have a partner by now?" Akihito asked.

"Why do you believe someone my age must have a partner? I simple have no interest in these matters."

"Why? Do you have HSDD?" 

Kujo coughed.

Asami’s brow shot up to the hairline this time. "HSDD? What makes you think that?"

"A normal healthy man would show interest in sex and getting a girlfriend…or boyfriend. And besides, if you don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend, you're not getting any."

Asami chucked. "I don't need to be in a relationship to fulfill my…carnal appetite. In fact, many people now feel a relationship is hindering, and much prefer a sexual relationship with no strings attached."

"Really? I thought that was only in the red lights district, between clients and prostitutes."

"These types of relationship are also present between regular civilians" Asami replied. 

"Oh..." 

A moment of silence passed through the room. Akihito couldn't think of another topic to talk about, and the books on the table looked boring. He had just spent the entire morning reading, and he wasn't going to read more today. But when he saw Asami reaching for the files once again, he quickly opened his mouth, ready to blurt out some gibberish, but Asami stopped him.

"It's pretty clear to me you have no intentions of letting me finish my work while you are present" Asami said as he cleaned up his desk and stood from his chair. 

"Where are you going?" Akihito asked Asami. 

"Where do you want to go?"

Akihito pondered for a moment. ".....can we go to Disneyland? I want to see what an amusement park looks like up close." 

“Alright” Asami agreed and headed towards the door. “We’ll go in one car; the parking lots there are often crowded.”

Akihito smiled. He has seen roller coasters and Ferris wheels in Yokohama before, but he could only admire them from afar, and the only times he could go on them were in his dreams. But ever since his new life started, so many of his dreams have started to come true. It was so surreal that Akihito was afraid that this current life of his was also a dream. He was afraid if he were to pinch himself, he would wake up on the cold stone pavement in Yokohama’s streets once again, begging for drugs and money.

~~~~~

The sound of the doorbell caused the assistant to groan loudly. It was still a bit painful to move around, and frankly, he didn’t enjoy wearing an oversized dress everywhere he went, but due to the circumcision, he would die if he wore anything even mildly tight – like pants  
Kirishima slowly made his way over to the door and to his surprise, Takeo Isamu stood outside, carrying a bottle of forty year old scotch, and some painkillers in the other.

“Takeo-sama!” Kirishima cried out as his body – instinctively – straightened up, and his legs clamped shut, like a military man in a salute. But the sudden action caused him to cringe at the wave of pain from down between his legs.

“Let’s throw aside the formalities Kei, I think the two of us have passed beyond that” Takeo smirked as he entered into the room. “Besides, sudden movements aren’t good for you.”

Closing the door behind the older man, Kirishima hurriedly followed after Takeo into his living room. “What brings you here Takeo-sama?”

“You” the older man said tenderly. “How are you feeling? Is it still painful?” 

“Er…no Takeo-sama, I am feeling much better now, thank you for your concern” the assistant replied with a slight bow.

“Isamu…”

“Eh?”

“Call me Isamu, like you did before. Call me by my name Kei” Takeo said as he patted the spot on the sofa beside him, indicating for Kirishima to sit.

“Ah…only that boy Akihito, your family, and the Asami family has the right to call you that” Kirishima responded.

“Don’t be a hard ass Kei. You could do it before so why can’t you do it now?”

Sitting down beside the older man, Kirishima looked into Takeo’s waiting eyes. “I-Isamu-sama…”

“Good” Takeo rewarded with a gentle pat on the cheek. “Akihito did a bad thing didn’t he?”

“Well…I did step out my boundaries. I’ve said too much to him.”

“I’ve instructed his teacher to increase his work load as punishment. And seeing how you’ve already been punished, I’ll let you off the hook  
this time. But I don’t want you saying anything more to that child” Takeo warned as he leaned in close to Kirishima.

“Please accept my apology Isamu-sama, it will never happen again.”

“Good” Takeo said. “Now, let’s make you feel better” he said, stroking Kirishima’s cheeks.

“I-Isamu-sama! Please wait!” Kirishima cried out as he tried to evade Takeo’s touch. “I can’t…”

“Don’t worry, just relax, I’m here to comfort you, not to cause you more pain.” Takeo whispered soothingly into Kirishima’s ear.

“I-I can’t receive any sorts of physical stimulation, or the wound will reopen.”

“I know, just relax and let me pamper you” and with that said, Takeo pulled Kirishima in close so their bodies were touching. He chuckled against Kirishima’s flushed cheek and pressed his lips against the young assistant’s cool, wine-colored lips. He didn’t deepen the kiss, fearing that it could cause unwanted stimulation on Kirishima’s lower half, but the soft texture of the chaste kiss was more than enough for him right now. 

“Takeo-sama please!” Kirishima cried out, pulling away. “As the head of the family, please restrain yourself and make better choices.”

“Remember the first day we met Kei? I said you personified prudence, thoughtfulness, and loyalty. Do you remember? Your tenderness and consideration is something I admire.” Takeo said as he held Kirishima in his hold. “Why have you become so sharp and rigid? So stiff and cold?”

Those words were like a double edged sword, both enhancing Kirishima’s pride and harming it. When he was much, much younger, he was a very loose boy, but now, he was like…no, he is Asami Ryuichi right hand. If he isn’t strict and harsh from time to time, he wouldn’t be able to ensure the best for his boss, and his boss’s benefactors. After all, he is the right hand of Asami Ryuichi, and before, the right hand of Takeo Isamu; how could a right hand possibly harm the body it is attached too?

“I understand my wrong Tak… Isamu-sama” Kirishima quickly corrected. “I will definitely remember your words, however…” he said as he broke away from the embrace

“However?” Takeo asked.

“However, please understand. Every time I overstep my boundaries, I do it with your wellbeing and Asami-sama’s wellbeing in mind. I have never thought about myself, only my benefactors.”

Takeo nodded as he took Kirishima’s hand and warmed it up in his own. “I am aware, believe me, I am.”

“We are all people of emotions, whenever we encounter emotional matters, we act according to emotions. However, as a leader Isamu-sama, you must not always rely on emotions, even if it is the part about you that is most touching” Kirishima explained. “Asami-sama is able to restrain his emotions and not allow it to interfere with his judgement, but I find you are unable to. This time with Takaba Akihito, you took him in out of pity, and you have some unrestraint towards the boy, but that is harming him. You must have known bring Takaba Akihito into this world, he would be greatly rejected and harmed. If you care for him so much, why keep him by your side? Why did you not send him to a regular home?”

“You are right. I could have spared Akihito the rejection and harm by employing a middle class family to house him as their own son. But I couldn’t do it. I need that boy to be beside me. I need to know that he is always safe. At my side is both the safest and most dangerous place. I have my own reasons, so don’t ask anymore” Takeo said. “But if you understand my feelings towards the boy, why can’t you be more compassionate towards him? Are you jealous? My love for Akihito is like a father to his son, nothing more than that.”

“Isamu-sama, you are mistaken, I did what I did not because of jealousy, nor is it because I want to make an enemy out of Takaba Akihito. Especially since I know just how special he is to you. But this Takaba Akihito is a bit too loose. You cannot continue pampering and spoiling him. That is detrimental to him.” Kirishima said.

“I understand, believe me I do. But Akihito is still in the process of recovering, and the last thing I want to do is scar him by speeding things up.”

“If you continue to put it off, the boy might become too vain. Boy’s his age pick up bad habits too easily. If he doesn’t straighten up, how can he gain peoples respect? You cannot accompany and protect him for a lifetime. If he continues to cause chaos everywhere he goes, what about his future? I’m sure you have plans for that boy to find a good wife and make a family.”

“That’s still so far away” Takeo chuckled “but you do have your point. I cannot continue to let Akihito have his way for that will harm him in the future. You needn’t worry Kei, I know how to raise children, so trust me.”

“Of course.”

~~~~~

Akihito woke up to the sounds of honking horns. He had fallen asleep in the car a few minutes into the ride after Asami had gotten a call and chatted away. He waited for the older man to finish, but the call lasted longer than expected and he fell asleep on the man’s lap – actually, it seems he fell onto Asami’s lap sometime during the trip.

Kujo was sitting up front in the passenger seat and Suoh Kazumi was driving. The highway seemed to have jammed since they weren’t moving at all.

“What’s going on?” Akihito asked groggily as he pushed himself off of Asami’s lap.

“We got caught in a traffic jam, but it’s starting to clear up” Asami answered.

“Oh…um, sorry I fell asleep on you…” Akihito apologized

“It’s fine.”

“So you’re done your call?” Akihito asked.

“Yes.”

“Why is it always one or two word replies with you?” Akihito grumbled.

Asami looked at the groggy boy. “Then how do you propose I reply?” he asked.

“How about telling me what the call was about? Or say something to carry the conversation?” Akihito suggested.

Asami chuckled. “Alright, what would you like to talk about?”

“I don’t know…maybe like…..your name?” Akihito suggested.

“What about my name?” Asami asked.

“Like…do I have to call you Asami-san?”

“It is my name. What else would you call me?”

“I mean, I call you Asami and I call your dad Asami. If the two of you were together, there’d be no way of differentiating between the two of you” Akihito explained.

“Then what do you have in mind?” Asami asked, smiling.

“I’m not sure…am I allowed to call you by your given name?”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Asami asked. He was impressed this little boy had the ability to keep his amusement alive and well fed. He didn’t mind being addressed by his given name. Akihito was deemed family by his father, and he has grown rather fond of the little creature. It would be nice to hear a Ryuichi once in a while instead of Asami-sama from morning to night. After all, Ryuichi should be the name that defines him, not Asami. He wanted his own power, not power gained because of his family name. Also, Ryuichi is the name his parents chose for him. If it wasn’t going to be used, why have it? “Go ahead” Asami said.

“R-Ryu…-nii?” Akihito stuttered out

“Ryu-nii?” Asami chuckled. “You sure went and changed my name pretty fast.”

“I like it better than Ryuichi…it comes out easier” Akihito said and Asami gave his hair a quick ruffle

“We have arrived Akihito, Asami-sama” Kujo informed them, and then directing his attention towards Akihito. “Akihito, there is going to be many people at the park, so make sure you don’t wonder off on your own. If there is something you wish to see, please say so and I will accompany you.”

“I know, don’t worry. I’m not a little kid anymore” Akihito said annoyingly. Everyone around him treats him like a little kid that doesn’t know his ups and downs, but he can distinguish the difference between black and white. After all, he has seen the difference pretty clearly. Those years living in the slums weren’t all for show. He had picked up quite a few useful techniques to help him survive in the wild on his own. But he can understand Kujo’s concern; there was quite a number of people present at the amusement park despite it being a work day. Guess tourists knew early fall was one of the best times to visit Japan – not too hot and not too windy.

“Akihito” this time, it was Asami. “Ever since you’ve been formally introduced, you have become a target. It is crucial you do not wonder off on your own. Do not ever leave our side, understand?”

“Yes I understand” Akihito replied with a nod.

Akihito watched Suoh pay the parking fees and drive into an empty lot. He had no idea leaving a car in an empty space would actually cost money – crooks.

The four of them got out and Asami held onto his hand to make sure he doesn’t get separated from the group. This was the second time Asami held his hand. The first time was in the evening of his introductory party, the older man’s hand engulfed his, comforting his beating, and insecure heart. And now, Asami was holding it again, but this time, not only did the touch offer him warmth and comfort, this simple action also showed that he was cared for. It was like a big brother caring for his little brother; or a father, caring for his son. No more than that; however, Akihito can’t help but feel the happiness surge inside his chest from the unconditional act.

Gently wrapping his slim fingers around the large hand, Akihito gave it a light squeeze, as if to show he appreciated and accepted Asami.

Asami felt the gentle little squeeze and smirked at the cute, childish act. He gently squeezed the small hand in return, as if to tell Akihito, he understood the silent message.

“How long are we going to be here?” Akihito looked up at Asami.

“Until you get your full” Asami replied as he lead the boy towards the entrances.

They were greeted kindly by the woman in the booth, but what Akihito found odd was how the woman was behind a thick wall of plastic. Why didn’t they have to talk to the customers directly? Why with a thick piece of plastic between them?

Suoh slide several ten thousand yen bills through the slot at the bottom of the booth, and Akihito watched with great interest as the woman quickly and skilfully counted the notes.

“How does she do that?” Akihito asked. “It’s like she’s folding a fan or something”

“Like this Akihito” Kujo leaned down and pulled out several notes out of his wallet and demonstrated the money counting technique to the boy.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool” Akihito said as he started at the notes being flipped in Kujo’s hand.

“Akihito-sama…..er…pardon me, Akihito-kun, here is your pass. Do not lose it.” Suoh interrupted as he handed the boy his child ticket.  
The woman handed each of them a brochure and a map to the park and directed them towards the entrance.

“So where are we going to go first?” Akihito asked as they entered into the park.

“We seem to have missed the daytime parade, but if you can stay awake, there is the Tokyo Disneyland electrical night time parade – Dreamlights” Kujo informed

“What’s that?”

“A bunch of floats covered in colorful and sparkling lights going around the park with iconic Disney characters riding on them” Kujo explained.

“I wanna see that!” Akihito cried out. He had never heard of a parade, or a float before, but the image of radiant lights perked his interest. He loved lights, city lights, festival lights, anything that brought a sparkle into life, he loved. He loves living after all.

“It’ll be past your bedtime, but if you can stay awake, we’ll stay to see it” Asami teased.

“I can! I usually don’t go to sleep until ten o’clock!” Akihito cried out angrily, but his childish frustration soon dissolved at the bustling view in front of him. There before him, were giant stuffed animals handing out toys and taking pictures with other children. There were colorful booths selling food and candy, and there were rides, so many rides and thrilling screams. He saw the Ferris wheel he had always dreamed of riding and the roller coasters whooshing through the sky. Suddenly, a large fuzzy paw tapped his shoulder and Akihito turned to see a giant bear with a bow tie and a top hat handing him a large, mouse shaped balloon. The bear patted him on the head and walked off to greet other kids.

“What’s this?” Akihito asked.

“It’s a balloon; I believe it’s in the shape of Mikey mouse, the official mascot of Disney” Kujo explained. “Hold on to the string or the balloon will fly away.”

“How does it stay afloat like that?”

“It is filled with helium gas, which is lighter than air” Kujo said.

“There are things out there lighter than air?!” Akihito gasped out.

“Yes, I’m sure Harashi-sensei will teach you this in the future.”

“Wow...” Akihito said, but his amazement for the balloon was short lived. After all, this is Disneyland, the ultimate dream land for all kids. “Hey!  
I want to see that one!” he suddenly cried out and pointed at the spinning attraction. He turned to run towards the ride, but was yanked back by Asami.

“Did you already forget our warnings Akihito? Don’t run off on your own” Asami reminded him.

“Then hurry up!” Akihito cried out frustratingly.

Asami chuckled. “We have all day Akihito. Even if we don’t get to everything today, you can always come back another day.” But Akihito wasn’t listening. The boy was too focused on dragging him over to the thriller ride as fast as possible. Was the boy even tall enough to ride the attraction? Akihito can’t be more than five feet.

“Holy” Akihito started at the ride once they reached the line-up. “So they really just spin you like that? Is it safe?”

“If it weren’t safe, it wouldn’t be here” Asami said.

“I want to go on it! Here, hold my balloon” Akihito handed his Mikey mouse balloon to Asami, and the man took it. Akihito had to hold back a snicker. The mature man in a suit holding a light blue mouse shaped balloon was a pretty funny picture.

“We bought the VIP passes Akihito, our line-up is other there” the older man pointed, but Akihito didn’t see a single living soul waiting in the special section while the regular line up was packed with people with a wait time of sixty minutes.

“There’s no one there? Are you sure we can go there? It won’t be fair to everyone else” Akihito said.

“We didn’t pay extra money to wait hours at each attraction” Asami said as he urged Akihito towards the VIP line up, while he and the two guards stayed back.

“Wait wait wait!” Akihito shouted. And all three men paused to look at him. “I’m going up there by myself? You’re not going to come with me?” he asked.

“I won’t be going on the attractions and you are tall enough to go on them by yourself” Asami replied. “Are you scared?”

“Not really, maybe a little…I just don’t want to go on alone…”

Asami looked over at Suoh.

“Er! Asami-sama, I exceed the maximum height limit, I am not allowed on” Suoh quickly blurted out. Actually, he has no idea if a maximum height limit even existed.

“Kujo, go” Asami ordered.

“Um, Asami-sama, I am too old for these attractions. I am sure I will become a burden to you after a few rides.”

“Thirty isn’t old!” Akihito cried out. “Come on Kujo!” he nagged.

“Akihito, please, I can’t” Kujo begged.

“These attractions only last a few minutes each Akihito, just go” Asami said.

“Emmmm….” Akihito whined. “No…I’m scared to go on alone…it goes upside down…..”

“Then let’s go find something more child friendly” Asami smirked.

“No…I wanna go on this one” Akihito said, pointing at the Top Spin.

“Akihito, the three of us can’t handle the vigorous movements.” Kujo reasoned.

“What is with you three? Are you guys seventy or something?” Akihito complained. He wanted to go on it, and yet he was too scared to go by himself. He couldn’t force the three of them to ride with him, but the thrilling screams coming from the seats on the ride really pumped his heart full of excitement; however, he didn’t have a choice. “Fine…” Akihito mumbled as he dragged his body away from the entrance of the tower.

Kujo had a choice to make, his master’s happiness, or his own well-being. Although, if Takeo found out he had made the boy unhappy, his well-being would be thrown out the window anyway. Besides, he can’t stand to see the boy disappointed. He too, enjoyed that big, bright smile on the kid’s face.

He let out a sigh and walked towards the VIP entrance. “I’ll go on the ride with you” Kujo finally gave in and Akihito paused to look into his face.

“Really!?” the boy said excitedly.

“But please choose rides you can go on alone later. If you wish to go on these extreme attractions, Kaede-sama would be happy to  
accompany you in the future” Kujo said.

“Ahhh! Kujo! Thank you!” Akihito cheered and ran up to drag Kujo towards the entrance.

Asami chuckled at the cute energizer bunny. “You really can’t say no to that face” Asami said after the two disappeared inside, and Suoh agreed. “I’m glad Kirishima isn’t here today. He would probably talk my ears off.”

Suoh agreed again.

~~~~~

After about ten minutes, Akihito skipped happily out of the exit, with Kujo wobbling behind him with a hand over his mouth.

“That was so awesome!” Akihito squealed as he ran up to Asami to take his balloon back.

Suoh ran to Kujo and helped the guard to a bench nearby.

“I don’t think it’s normal for a healthy thirty year old man to become that nauseous after just a few spins” Akihito said. “Maybe he’s sick?”

“Some people are more sensitive compared to others” Asami said. “Here.” Asami pulled out a small black hat from a plastic bag he didn’t have before Akihito went on the Top Spin.

“What is it?” Akihito asked, taking the hat and putting it on his head.

“It’s a Mickey mouse hat. Suoh picked it up for you. He thought you might enjoy it.”

“Thank you” Akhito shouted and waved frantically at the giant guard beside Kujo. “...Okay, I know I promised to go on these rides alone, but It’s more fun if I go on it with someone, so can you please come on with me?” Akihito begged Asami. “I promise to choose something more friendly.”

Asami chuckled, and then directed his attention towards Suoh, who was nursing the woozy Kujo. “Unless you are over ten feet tall, you have no excuse not go on any of these attractions Suoh.” Asami said, smirking when his guard’s face grew a little pale.

“Yes!” Akihito cheered and handed his balloon back to Asami. “I want to go on that one next!” he said, pointing at the swing ride located not far from their current location.

“Er…Akihito-kun, I don’t think those chains holding those swings in the air will be able to withstand my weight…they seem rather frail” Suoh said, trying to weasel his way out. “Besides, I’m sure you can go on that one by yourself. See? There are many children on there by themselves” he pointed out.

“No…..” Akihito grumbled. “It’s more fun with someone. Come on” he said, dragging his victim towards the swings.

“Give it up Suoh, unless you want me up there” Asami threatened.

“Of course not Asami-sama!” Suoh immediately cried out. He could never let Asami Ryuichi go on these death contraptions. No matter how safe people claim them to be.

As soon as the teen and his guard were out of sight, Asami sat down next to Kujo on the bench.

“Have you noticed?” Asami asked and Kujo looked up, still wanting to hurl. “Someone has been targeting Akihito ever since we entered the park.”

Kujo immediately became alert; completely forgetting his discomfort.

“Don’t look around and don’t look alarmed” Asami quickly ordered. “He still hasn’t realized we’ve noticed him. Damn fool had the chance to pull the trigger when that mascot handed Akihito the balloon but let it go” the man said with a menacing, sour smile on his face. “Kujo, go make sure he gets no other chances.”

The guard’s relaxed ambience dissipated immediately and was replaced with a serious, dark, blood-thirsty aura. The man reached inside his suit jacket to feel for his gun. He would have to think of a way to lure the pest away from the crowd of people first before carrying out his job, or else a commotion would arise, and Akihito will without a doubt get caught up in it.

Asami watched as Kujo stood up to leave. He had anticipated a possible assassination attempt, but he didn’t expect anyone would be bold enough to enter into a fully packed, family park to carry out the deed. The idiocy of people truly amazes him every time he encounters them.

~~~~~

After several dozen more spinning, sharp turning rides: the teacups, the hurricane, the tagada, and several roller coasters, both Suoh and Kujo were defeated, while Akihito was still bouncing up and down with balloon still in hand. The sun started to set, and families were waiting for the moon and stars to surface so the parade can come out.

“There’s still an hour before the parade right?” Akihito asked. “I want to go to a haunted house! And then the Ferris wheel! I always wanted to go on that one!”

“Akihito, Suoh and Kujo can’t take anymore” Asami said.

“Then you come with me Ryu-nii” Akihito said, reaching out to grab Asami’s hand. “The haunted mansion is a slow little train ride, and the Ferris wheel just goes in a slow circle, see!” he said, pointing at the large spinning wheel.

Sighing, Asami gave in and followed after the hyperactive boy. Was there truly no limit to a child’s energy supply?

The entrance of the haunted mansion was covered with ruins and graves; it certainly gave off an eerie atmosphere, especially since it was night time.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Akihito asked, squeezing Asami’s hand hard.

“If you’re scared, we shouldn’t go in. You’ll get nightmares” Asami said.

“No, I like ghost stories, and I like the scare. I just need to hold onto someone” Akihito replied. “The sign said this mansion is haunted by nine hundred and ninety-nine ghosts and other creatures. Do you believe that?”

“No” Asami smirked at the boy. “It is only to entertain children.”

Walking into the mansion, through the old, creaking doors, Akihito felt relieved several dozen visitors followed him inside. If it was only him and Asami with a couple of people inside this large structure, he would get nightmares.

Suddenly, Akihito felt a cold wind blow on his neck.

“What was that!” he cried out in a hushed tone, whipping his head back and forth.

“It’s just an effect Akihito” Asami reassured but Akihito tightened his hold on the man’s hand.

The two of them boarded the very front seats of the dune buggy, or “doom” buggy as Disneyland liked to call it and road off.

There were paintings, so many paintings with their eyes following them as they rode through the dimly lit rooms. The portraits were actually very creepy. The huge bulging eyes moving back and forth made Akihito bury his face in Asami’s arm.

“It’s only an illusion” Asami said with a gentle pat to his head.

“Oh my god!” Akihito cried out. “Look, it’s a pair of hands playing the piano! Only the hands! There’s no body!”

Asami chuckled. He opened his mouth to explain but decided against it. He didn’t want to be a ruin the boy’s fun by adding logic to everything Akihito found scary or amazing. After all, Disneyland was a place where dreams come true. And as absurd as it sounded to him, it had given Akihito one hell of a day.

“Ah! I think I feel someone sitting beside me…..” Akihito whispered as he scooched closer to Asami.

“This mansion is haunted by nine hundred and ninety-nine ghosts; they’re tempted to make it an even thousand. If they got a cute boy like you to join them, I’m sure they would be pleased” Asami teased playfully.

“Hey! No!” Akihito complained. “I think the lady ghosts would be happier with you around!”

Asami chuckled.

Throughout the rest of the ride, a couple of things popped out at them, making Akihito scream and jump. But none of it stimulated Asami. Once they finally reached the end, Akihito didn’t waste a minute before dragging him towards the Ferris wheels.

“This is the last one, and then we have to find a good spot for the parade!” Akihito said.

The two of them got a capsule to themselves, with Akihito sitting on one side of the bench and Asami sitting on the other across from him. The operator closed the door to the circular capsule and the wheel started to rotate once more.

It took pretty long to reach the top, but once up there, Akihito’s eyes couldn’t move away from the window.

“Wow…this is amazing…I’ve never seen lights like this before…” he marvelled.

“You like the view?” Asami asked. The view was indeed astonishing, but inferior to some. He was impressed though, but he would never openly show his emotions on his face like the boy, but mostly because he wasn’t easy to impress.

“Yeah, I love lights. City lights…any lights as long as it’s bright and there’s lots of them”

“There are many light shows in Japan” Asami said.

“Really? Light shows? When?”

“Christmas perhaps? But during that time of the year, any part of Japan would be covered with festive lights.”

“Is it pretty?” Akihito asked.

“Yes, very pretty” Asami said, chuckling at the childishness of the boy, who turned his attention back to the view down below. “Akihito, come here…” the older man beckoned for the boy to come over to him.

Akihito looked curiously at the man as he stood up from his seat and walked over to Asami, rocking the gondola in the process. Asami pulled him onto his lap. “Look over there” Asami said, pointing towards the ocean.

“Wow! Is that the ocean?” Akihito cried out as he plastered his face onto the windows.

“Yes it is. The city lights illuminating the dark waters. A fabulous sight wouldn’t you say?” Asami said and the boy nodded in amazement.

“Um…thank you very much for bring me here today. I know you were busy with work so thank you…..” Akihito said in a shy, but grateful tone.

Asami smiled. “You’re welcome” he replied. “I trust you had a good time?”

“Yes!” Akihito cheerfully said. “I love it! I thought the two of us wouldn’t end up doing anything today. I was afraid you’d be too busy to do  
anything with me, and I’d be sitting in a chair reading a book.”

“A book is fuel for a hungry mind” Asami said.

“Argh! You sound just like Harashi-sensei!” Akihito whined. “I have him again first thing tomorrow morning, so there’s no need for you to remind me…”

Asami laughed.

After another fifteen minutes, their gondola finally reached the bottom. The two stepped out and rejoined the two guards still groaning on the park bench.

~~~~~

The parade, just like the pamphlet promised was ecstatic. Akihito had never seen so many lights before. It looked as if every single float was made up of nothing but lights. And perhaps they were, he couldn’t tell. But he was amazed with the power of the human imagination and creativity. The next time he comes, he vows that he will have an HD night camera, even though there was no camera more powerful than the memory, and no lenses clearer than the eyes, he still wanted a souvenir.

When the last of the float passed by, Akihito felt a pint of sadness, as if his light was slipping away from him. But he knew that wasn’t true. No matter what, the light he now has will never disappear. There was no darkness that could block the light.

As the people started to leave, the park, the last thing Akihito remembered was Suoh lifting him up and dropping him onto Kujo’s back. The clouds rushed into his head fast and muddled his mind. He remembered hearing Asami saying something about his “fuel finally running low,” but his mind was too groggy with sleep, and he welcomed the nocturnal haven.


	10. Everywhere Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warning: oc, ooc, au, unedited
> 
> A/N: So sorry for the long wait, but I had to fix this chapter up countless amount of times to get it satisfactory :( This is the last bump in the road, future chapters will contain more or all Akihito and Asami moments. P.S. If anyone want to read the translated tsureguregusa, here's a link https://archive.org/details/miscellanyofjapa00yosh
> 
> As always, thanks for reading :)

**Chapter 9 Everywhere Green**

"Akihito-kun! Get back here!" Harashi shouted from within the courtyard of the Takeo estate.

Alarmed like a bunny, Akihito grabbed his tail and ran once he heard his sensei's voice. The hardworking scholar came down on him like a bomb this morning just because he failed his literacy test...and his history test… and his math test...but Akihito didn't like any of those things. He liked art: design, creation, imagination, expression. Anything that possessed beauty and emotional power, and in his book, that didn't include literature such as poetry or essays. He preferred images, whether it is a statue or a picture.

He talked with Takeo about his likes and dislikes, but the older man informed him that he must learn the basics first - the foundation of knowledge - before he can venture out further. But today, Harashi truly made him fear the books. The scholar showed up with several hard covered text books, and instructed him to read each out loud and recopy the texts in each book by hand for his learning experience. The man was insane. Each of the books had to be over a hundred pages. The nerves in his hand would collapse before he can even get through half of the first book.

And so, he escaped. While the aging scholar had his back turned, Akihito threw down his pencil and jumped out the window. But for a bookworm, Harashi was pretty fast and sharp. The two of them played a pretty intense game of tag, but eventually, Akihito lost Harashi. Now, Akihito was hiding behind the giant tree in the courtyard – whose trunk was so wide, it hid all of him. 

The wall surrounding the estate was made up of stone, with tasteful oriental designs carved near the top. The wall was about ten feet tall, maybe even less; either way, he would have no trouble jumping over it. 

Standing up and patting the dirty off of his pants, Akihito positioned himself in front of the wall and lunched for the top. His fingers hooked onto the edges and he tried to pull himself up, but it seems the good life had softened him. 

"Stupid lobsters...stupid lambs..." Akihito cursed the expensive foods. Every single night, it was seafood and meat for him. The chief stuffed him like a turkey and now, he couldn't even jump over a simple ten foot tall wall. 

"One more time" he encouraged himself as he rubbed some dirt onto his hands and shoes for friction before lunching for the top once more. His hands grabbed onto the rigid edge of the stone wall, and with the help of his feet, Akihito managed to pull himself onto the top of the wall. He stayed low, to avoid detection from the servants and guards around the estate. Once Akihito made sure there was no one present to witness his escape, he flipped over, jumped down from the ten foot tall wall and landed on his feet. Like hell he was going stay in a wolves den. He could ask Takeo for a new private teacher, but his guardian would probably say something like "Harashi is good for you." Or, "you will learn nothing if you take the easy route." Who cares! He was able to squeeze his way up to the very top class of society, and all he knew back then was pan-handling, foraging and stealing. He didn't have to learn any fancy numbers or characters to survive back then. All he needed was survival techniques, which he was able to acquire quite skilfully. If he was able to somehow enter into the elite world, he'll be able to scam his way through life. That was his motto.

The day was still young and he didn't have a guard on his back. More specifically, he didn't have Kujo trailing behind him. He has never had a day of fun by himself ever since he moved into the Takeo household. Even within the limits of the estate, he was always followed. Kujo told him it was because a simple servant can immediately and easily become a spy or an assassin within minutes. But so far, nobody had tried to kill him yet, as far as he knew anyway. He understood the concern and precaution put in place for him but he didn't understand why it had to go so far as to have Kujo stand guard outside the bathroom when he takes care of business. But he has gotten over his bladder/colon shyness now. 

Right now, Harashi is probably on the phone with Takeo, reporting the situation to the boss. Akihito doesn't know what Takeo will do to punish him for his disobedience, but considering how gentle his guardian was, he doubt he'd be beaten.

This was a rare opportunity for him. He was actually alone, in Yokohama, his home town. There was so many places he wants to revisit, and a couple of friends he wished to see again.

~~~~~

"He jumped out the window and ran?" Takeo asked with a cigarette dangling loosely from his mouth.

"Yes, he ran out the room like it was on fire. His cell phone is also turned off. What do you propose we do?" Harashi said as he took a sip of his drink. 

"I doubt he'll learn anything from a beating" Takeo chuckled. "I'll install locks around the classroom so he can't run off again. So what subject is he having trouble with?"

"Almost everything. His mind is constantly being occupied with the outside world. I'm afraid the books just aren’t for him; he prefers hands on experiences" Harashi said, sharing his observations on the boy with his close friend and boss. 

"True. So how should we punish him? He doesn't have anything worth confiscating...perhaps I should go buy him some video consoles or computers so I can confiscate them in the future" Takeo joked.

Harashi laughed at the suggestion. "Wouldn't do any good, he knows he'll get them back eventually."

"Confine him to his room? Put him under house arrest?" 

"That wouldn't teach him anything either. He knows you can't lock him up forever" Harashi chuckled. "That boy fears the books; I think making him copy out the dictionary or an essay a couple hundred times would scare him into obedience during class. Since he likes the outdoors so much and is quite the little humanist, maybe Kenko Toshida's Tsurezuregusa would be a good choice?" 

"Not bad. Alright, have him rewrite the zhuhitsu let's say...a hundred times? If he can't do it, make it fifty copies. Tell him he must memorize the essay and recite it to me word for word. He must explain to me what Kenko Yoshida was trying to convey in his writing. And he must also present to me his own personal interpretation on the work in the form of his own oral essay. When he is done, have him sent to me." 

"Akihito will cry when he hears of this" Harashi chuckled. "But you should be the one to inform him of his punishment. He doesn't take me seriously even when I put my “angry face” on."

"Tell him I will punish his servants for not taking proper care of their master. He treasures those servants, so an indirect attack will be more effective" Takeo said. 

"The boy will be heartbroken when he learns of your strictness you know" Harashi said.

"That may be true, but I know the difference between spoiling him and spoiling him rotten. I can't always be so lenient towards him, or he won't grow up to be a proper adult" Takeo sighed. 

"True. Arrogance will arise from indulgence. You can’t always spare the rod and spoil the child” Harashi commented but at the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for the young teenager. The boy was going to get quite the reality check once he comes back. 

~~~~~

Akihito walked up to the rusty metal gates in front of the junior high school. Even though the gates were closed, there were no guards standing by. Actually, there was, but the slacker fell asleep in his station. 

The school gate didn't even match his height. Akihito had to wonder what exactly did the school intend to keep out with the small, old gate. 

With swift movements, Akihito climbed over the gate and onto school property. The security guard remained asleep despite the loud rattling of the rusty gates when he climbed over.

The school was an average one; it wasn't a druggy school or a supreme school. It was just average; meant for normal middle class families. 

Akihito's watch read eleven fifty. He would normally be having lunch right about now. The chief back at home usually have sushi made for him or some sort of rice bowl or noodles. The students should be going on lunch break soon too, so Akihito ran into the building with the intention of joining them.

The first thing he ran into was several rows of lockers and bins. There was a sign near the entrance that requested the removal of outdoor shoes to help keep the building clean. Akihito lifted his foot up to check his sneakers sole and found them muddy. He didn't have an extra pair of shoes with him and he didn't want to walk around in his socks, so instead, he wiped his foot a couple of times on the entrance mat and proceeded further into the school. 

The school had several levels and each level had dozens of rooms. Some were classrooms and some were offices. Akihito walked by a few classrooms and peeked through the window. All the students were listening to their sensei attentively – unlike him. The students on the lower levels seemed too young. They looked to be twelve or thirteen. Perhaps the higher grade students were a few floors up. As Akihito turned to leave, a few of the students in the classroom waved at him. And he waved back, smiling. 

Once he located the stairs, Akihito climbed up two more levels and reached the third floor in the building. His watch read twelve ten now and he wondered when lunch was going to start. As he waved through the hall way, he noticed several empty classrooms. 

Tempted to feel what it was like to sit in a public school classroom, Akihito entered into a room and sat down in the chairs provided. He kicked his feet back and forth and snickered in the seat. There was something amusing about all this. Private schooling was simply just too boring. Oh how he wished he could transfer into a public school, but with his grades, no amount of string pulling and bribes would help. 

There was a huge blackboard in the middle of the room and several pieces of colourful chalk lay out. Harashi used the blackboard as a visual aid to help him understand the materials taught. He had always wanted to play with the blackboard but the scholar scold for him to focus and to sit still, promising Akihito he can play with it after class, but Harashi never remembered his promises. Akihito didn't know what the attraction was, but the thought of drawing on a blackboard just seemed really tempting and fun, and this was his chance.

Unlike Harashi who used only boring white chalk, the classroom had red, blue, green, and yellow. Akihito picked up the red colored chalk – it reminded him of his mother's old lip stick color – and he began to draw lines all over the board. After trying out all the colors, he stepped back to admire the blend. Reaching for the eraser beside him, Akihito got rid of everything on the board and started writing a bunch of gibberish - whatever he could think off. Then, an idea hit him. Turning around, he faced the classroom and cleared his throat.

"Now Akihito, recite the multiplication table to me" he said in a fake low voice into the empty desks out in front of him. He was trying to imitate Harashi, but failed when he burst out laughing. He quickly stopped and regained his "sensei" persona. "Read this passage out to me. Do it one hundred times." Akihito imitated, but couldn't keep a straight face.

"Hey! What are you doing?" a sudden deep, menacing male voice penetrated throughout the empty classroom.

Akihito flinched. He turned to face the door and saw a male school staff standing there, blocking the exit and looking stern. 

"Er...I-I'm just fooling around. I wanted to play on the blackboard" Akihito said as the put the chalk down and quickly erased the contents on the blackboard. 

"What's your name?" The teacher walked towards him. "What's your home room number? Show me your student ID" the man demanded. 

Akihito furrowed his brows. Nobody orders him around. Not because he is a Takeo, but because he is Akihito god dammit. "No" Akihito replied firmly. 

"What?" The teacher spat out angrily. 

"If you want to know so bad, go figure it out yourself" and with that, Akihito threw the eraser at the teacher's face and ran out the classroom and into the hallway. This was the second time today he had to run from a teacher. He and teachers just don't seem to click. 

Akihito heard the loud yells of the teacher from behind him, telling him to stop or he'll have him suspended. Like it mattered to him; he was home schooled. But that doesn't mean he wasn't going to run from the man. Akihito dashed down the hallway with the teacher hot on his heels. This teacher was much younger than Harashi, and he could really move. Within seconds, the male teacher was within arm’s length from him. 

Akihito panicked and tried to run faster, but his legs were shorter compared to the teacher’s well trained ones. And when was the last time he actually had a good run? Oh right, it was when he was running away from Takeo after snatching the man's wallet back about two years ago. He was damn out of shape. He really needed to talk to Takeo about going to the gym – or maybe convince the man to teach him some mad karate.

Soon he felt his lungs burn and his legs weaken. He felt the bile rising in his throat and he's breathing shortened. He couldn't run any more, and gradually, he slowed down, giving the teacher the opportunity to yank him back by his shirt.

"Do you want to be expelled?" The teacher scowled. "Come on, we're going to the principal’s office" he said, dragging a struggling Akihito with him by the boy's shirt.

~~~~~

"Alright, thanks Rai" Takeo said into his phone. 

"Is Raiju sure that was Akihito he saw?" Harashi asked as Takeo pocketed his phone. 

"Rai was driving around when he noticed a spunky little blonde boy climbing over a gate and running into a middle school" Takeo said. "For a kid who hates the books, why he would run into a school is beyond me. But do you know any other spunky little blonde boys?"

Harashi chuckled. "Are you going to pick him up?" 

"Rai said he'll do it." 

Harashi grew silent. "Are you sure?" He asked after a moment. 

"Yes" came the simple reply. 

"Are you not afraid Raiju will find out?" 

Takeo turned around and faced his friend. "No" he replied confidently. "He won't find out. Not yet anyway."

~~~~~

"Trespassing into private property is a crime. I could report you to the police" threatened the balding principal. 

"Technically, this is a public school, ergo, this isn't private property" Akihito argued back, looking smug when the principal scowled at him. He was good at finding loopholes. Unfortunately, whenever he found them, it would only cause further anger. But what can he do? He was a smartass, love him for who he is. 

The principal slammed his hands down onto his desk. "You do not seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I can have you sent to juvenile prison for this." 

Akihito trembled a bit. He can't imagine what Takeo’s face will look like if he were to greet the older man from behind bars, but it definitely won't be a happy one. However; he can't let the principal sense his distress. "So?" He challenged bravely. 

"Give me your parents’ home number and address" the principal demanded venomously. 

"I can't, my guardian told me to never tell strangers personal information" Akihito said cheekily. "So technically, I can have you charged with assault." 

"What!?" The principal barked out. 

"You're forcing personal information out from an under aged kid, and threatening him when he refuses. That sounds like assault to me" Akihito said. 

"You!" The man barked in anger and began to reach for the phone on his desk when a booming laugh burst into the office. Turning around, Akihito gasped as the image of Asami Raiju appeared in front of him. 

"The kid is right, this can be considered assault" Raiju said, still clucking as he entered into the small office. 

"Who are you?" The principle demanded. 

"Pardon my rudeness" Raiju said. The elder Asami pulled out a business card from his suit jacket and handed it over to the principle, who immediately became pale upon seeing the name on the card. "From the look on your face, I see we have come to an understanding." 

"S-sir..." The principle stuttered. "Please! Have a seat! Would you like anything to drink? Tea perhaps?" 

"No, don't trouble yourself. I'm just here to pick this kid up" Raiju said as he pulled out the chair beside Akihito and sat down.

"Oh yes! Of course! Please forgive my rude transactions" the principle bowed toward Akihito with an ass kissing smile. "You are welcome here any time you wish."

"Whatever..." Akihito muttered to himself. He crossed his arms and sunk into his seat with a pout on his face. So what he said didn't matter, but the moment Asami Raiju showed up, the dried up old prune immediately became a pile of jelly. Akihito watched as the principal scurried around the room like a rat, trying to please his VIP guest. Would he have gotten the principal on his knees like that if he had introduced himself as _Takeo_ Akihito? Probably not. The old man would most likely not believe him since the members of elite families are supposedly “virtuous,” whereas he is “wild and undisciplined.” He doesn’t wear that high class aura around him because he doesn’t know how. He was comfortable being the simple, commoner boy he really is.

"You know, I don't think Isamu is too pleased with the current situation" Raiju spoke as they two of them exited the main office. 

Akihito felt a little stab hit his chest. "Really? Did he say so?" He asked. 

"No, but he didn't sound too energetic over the phone."

Akihito groaned out loud. "What do you think he's going to do?" 

"Knowing him probably nothing, but who knows" Raiju said. 

"He's not going to hit me or anything right?" 

Raiju chuckled. "You? I don't think he ever will" he said, patting the boy's head. "So why this school?" 

"Pardon?"

"Why did you decide to trespass into this school? Do some of your old friends come here?" Raiju asked. 

"Yeah, I was looking for them. By the way, why are you here oji-san?" Akihito asked, who finally felt comfortable addressing Asami Raiju with a less formal title. The elder man looked really out of place in his custom designed European suit as he walked down the hallway of the junior high school. The man was really tall and handsome despite his age. His face was statuesque, and his body was broad and firm. Akihito saw a little bit of Asami Ryuichi in the man and that made him blush just a pinch. 

Just as Asami Raiju was about to respond, the lunch bell rung and the silent hallway immediately became rowdy with noise and students. 

The students exiting their classrooms immediately froze; all their gazes landing on the god-like statue beside Akihito. 

Akihito saw several girls blush. He even saw a few boys his age blushing at the sight of Asami Raiju. He couldn't blame them; just the man's face itself was able to captivate any living creature. 

"Umm...excuse me, but who are you?" A brave young girl around the age of fourteen approached them. 

"I'm a business man" Raiju responded with a smile and the little girl immediately turned bright red and giddy 

Then another girl stepped forward. "Umm, how old are you? Do you mind if I take your picture?" she asked with her cell phone in hand. 

"I'm old enough to be your grandfather" the elder Asami chuckled as he knelt down beside the girl so she could take a selfie of the two of them.

After the girl left the older man’s side – beet red – other junior high girls started to approached the elder Asami while Akihito stood off to the side like the pretty wall flower he is.

He was jealous. It was absurd to compare himself with Asami Raiju, or even Asami Ryuichi. The two men have accomplished so much. Their experiences were so great that it made his little life seem insignificant. But no matter how great they were, and no matter how young and inexperienced he was compared to his elders, he was still a human being, which meant he couldn’t help but support these feelings of jealously.

This fifty-something year old man was currently surrounded by twelve to fifteen year old girls and some boys. This didn’t seem like much, but the fact that these young, immature students felt the immediate charismatic attraction to this sovereign-like man, proved the length of this man’s greatness. Asami Raiju’s magnetism immediately masked Akihito’s existence and that made him feel empty, for he had neither the charm nor virility to satisfy anyone currently.

“Hey!” A girlish voice cried out behind him and Akihito turned to see a young lady his age staring at him.

“Hello…” he replied.

“What’s your name?” the girl asked. “I’m Narita Hina, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too” Akihito replied with a smile. “I’m Takaba…I mean, Takeo Akihito.”

“Takaba Takeo Akihito?” the girl questioned his slip. “You have three parts to your name?”

“Ah no, just Takeo Akihito. I’m adopted, and that’s my new name…”

“Oh, I see” The girl replied.

This Narita Hina was very cute. She looked to be his age, and have a pretty virtuous face. She had thick black hair down to her shoulders and fringes just below her eyebrows. The school’s uniform suited her too. Traditional blazer and a plaid skirt just below the knees. She didn’t wear any extra accessories or make-up and Akihito liked that. He preferred an organic look. But he was puzzled why this girl would be talking to him. She looked the popular type – loved by the teachers, and students; excel in both studies and sports.

“Umm, would you like to get your picture taken with Asami-ojisan? I can help” Akihito said, assuming the girl was just using him to get to the beef cake everyone was surrounding currently.

“No, I don’t like older men. He is good looking but not my type.” the girl said, smiling. “So Akihito-kun…may I call you that?”

Akihito nodded.

“Are you transferring to this school?”

“Ah, no…I just came to look for a few friends. I’m not sure if they still go to this school or not though” Akihito said.

“Who are they? Do you know what grade they are in?” the girl asked.

“They should be my age…fourteen or fifteen…not sure what grade that is though…”

“They’re third years! I’m a third year too so I know everyone in my grade. Do you have names?”

“Yes!” Akihito replied excitingly. “Their names are Kou and Takato. Do you know them?”

The girl pondered for a moment, then smiled at him. “Come with me Akihito-kun” she said, leading him away by his hand.

“Those two like to hang around on the roof during breaks with their friends. You’re not afraid of heights are you?” she asked and Akihito shook his head.

“Are they well?” Akihito asked.

“Yes of course” she responded as the two of them walked up the flight of stairs leading to the roof. "Normally, lunch time is held in the students’ home rooms, but these guys are headed down the path of delinquency, so they eat up here. Their parents and teacher can't control them" Narita Hina explained as she opened the door to the roof. "That one with the long hair is Kou, Takato is the one smoking the cigarette" she pointed out.

Akihito scanned the group of boys gathered on the roof of the school and wondered if he had made the right choice to come visit them. It has been nearly two years since the three of them last met. Would they still welcome him? Would they still remember him? He was a no body before - a scum of society. Could his two friends have moved on? The courage and excitement Akihito had just a moment ago completely dissolved. Perhaps it was a mistake for him to still hope for a reunion. The three of them were so close before, and even though it wasn't his fault, he just suddenly exited from their lives without a trace. 

Kou and Takato looked different too. Takato had dyed his hair blonde like him – even blonder actually, and Kou's hair was long enough for a short ponytail. The way they dressed was also kind of ghetto looking, completely different from their neat, pristine looks back two years ago. 

"Hey boys!" Narita Hina shouted and waved at the mini gang chatting away on the roof. "There's someone here to see you!"

The boys turned to look at the spirited girl and him, but Akihito immediately lowered his head to hide his face. It seems his habit of hiding his face still lingered on, but it has been so long, and his two friends have obviously moved on while he still clung onto the past. Was he just kidding himself by coming here?

"Who is that?" one of the boy's asked. 

"His name is Akihito-kun and he's looking for Kou and Takato" Narita answered for him and Akihito felt a little butterfly sneak up inside his stomach as he was announced. He felt foolish now for coming and he hated himself. Where did his confidence go? Why was he so meek? This isn’t him at all. He wears everything with confidence, but the prospect of being rejected and losing his friends truly frightened him. He was afraid of being along – of being left behind and being left out.

"A...kihi...to...? Takaba Akihito?" a voice spoke softly. Akihito looked up and saw the two teens looking directly at him. 

"No way…” Kou whispered. “It is! It's Akihito!" Kou shouted.

"Oh my god!" Takato screamed and ran towards him with Kou right behind him. The two of them charged up to him and tackled him into the hard brick wall behind him with a slam. Akihito cried out when his head connected with the stone wall and the three of them slid down onto the ground. 

"You guys...." Akihito said, rubbing his head to sooth the pain. 

Suddenly, Kou reached out to grab his head. "It really is him! It's his face!" He shouted while glossing over Akihito's features with his hands. 

"Of course it's my face" Akihito snickered at his friend's silliness. "How have you guys been? You've become delinquents since the last time I saw you two."

"Akihito you jackass! What happened to you? Do you know how worried we were? We reported you to the police, but they believe us!" Takato scowled while hugging him tightly. 

"I’m sorry, but I'm fine now. I'm back. See?" Akihito reassures, patting his friends back. He felt so blessed and relieved...and silly for doubting them. His friends remembered him. Their outward appearances have changed quite a bit, but they were still the same warm, loving friends he knew before. 

"Come on, let's bail. There's only three more periods left anyways." Takato suggested to Kou. "I want to hear Akihito's story." 

"Me too" Kou agreed. 

"Hey, you guys shouldn't skip school. Wouldn't your parents get angry when they find out?" Akihito advised, completely forgetting that he had just skipped class himself. 

"Nah, we do it all the time, let's go get some food. I know a good fast food place, our treat" Takato said. 

~~~~~

"I'll have the cheese burger combo" Akihito said to the waitress before handing back his menu. He was sandwiched between Kou and Takato, who can't seem to detach themselves from him. 

"So you're friends with Narita now?" Kou asked as he took a sip of his coke. 

"She just came up to me and we began chatting. Good thing too, because if she didn't, I'm not sure I would have found you guys" Akihito said. 

"I would keep your distance from her, she's very controlling and bossy…..and Takato has a massive crush on her" Kou snickered. 

Takato smacked him. 

"I do not! Just because she's a straight A student and the class rep, she thinks she has the right to boss everyone around. It's annoying" Takato explained. 

"Then why are you blushing and babbling?" Akihito pointed out, and the group laughed.

"Alright, enough about us, what happened to you?"

"Nothing much" Akihito replied as he thanked the waitress for bring him his food. 

"You've been missing for nearly two years! Don't "nothing" me!" Takato demanded. 

"He looks fine...he is sitting on his ass pretty comfortably." Kou said.

"He's just saying that. You know how dangerous the red light district is. Every day, there's news about a dead prostitute.....not that you're one" Takato quickly corrected. 

"It's fine, I was just an errand boy back then, but I was still considered a prostitute" Akihito said. 

"So what happened?"

"......I was bought....then I excaped" Akihito answered in simplicity. The last thing he wanted was for more people to learn about his dark shadows – his shame. 

"Escaped? How?"

"The bastard didn't keep me in chains or anything, so when the opportunity came, I ran. I snuck onto the back of a truck and got away" he explained. 

His two friends’ shoulders visibly relaxed. “Oh…is that all? Nothing worse happened?”

Akihito nodded. “Nothing else, I promise. He was impotent so I wasn’t raped either. I gotta say, I lived the luxury life for a forced sex slave” he said chuckling, but didn’t go into more details of what happened after he had escaped. There were things better left as a secret, and his friends seem to understand that for they weren't probing too deep. But his drug addict life was a secret he plans on taking to his grave.

"Then...where are you living now? I heard that brothel burnt down after the owner hung herself." Kou asked.

"Yeah I heard. Kind of a pity though, that place was old enough to be considered a historical landmark. It was built back in the Edo period you know” Akihito jokingly replied.

"Who cares, so what's your life like now? When did you come back? Are you living in another brothel?"

"I came back about a year ago...I would have come see you guys sooner but my mental and physical health wasn’t great, so I had to take some time away to recuperate..." Akihito explained. "I got adopted into a nice family – a real family with a real home, and I'm being treated like royalty. Everyone there spoils me so much, I’m afraid I’ll grow up to be vain."

"Who adopted you?" Takato asked.

"He's some important public figure...his name is Takeo Isamu..."

Kou and Takato looked mulled over the name for a bit. "I've heard that name before...he's a CEO right?"

"I don't understand what he does, all I know is he’s a really important figure in Japan" Akihito answered. 

"The elite’s hide a lot of secrets...they always do, no matter what country. The rich and powerful always move in the shadows while pretending to be successful business owners on the surface..." Kou commented. 

"True..." Akihito said. “I definitely feel Isamu-san’s “business” side isn’t all pretty.”

“But god! I’m so happy for you Akihito! The heavens finally rewarded you like you’ve always said!” Takato congratulated.

“Thanks!” Akihito smiled back. 

"Hey, if this guy is successful, he must buy you a lot of nice things right?" Kou asked.

“He buys me a lot of nice clothes and accessories, but I usually don’t wear them. I’m afraid I’ll ruin them. He asks me every day before he leaves for work if I want anything and I usually say nothing. I don't know how technology works and I'm not interested in toys anymore, but he always brings me back some really good food – I think they’re street vendor food" Akihito said, smiling.

“Awww, you’re being spoiled” Kou teased in a cutesy voice as he leaned back into the booth with his drink in hand. "Ask him to get you the new PS4! We'll teach you how to use it" 

"I can't do that...that's too forward and those things are expensive. I can’t take him for granted..." Akihito explained.

"Fair enough...but can we come over sometime?"

"Sure! But I need to ask first. I have a phone now, I can text you guys" Akihito said as he pulled out his new shinning smart phone which immediately caught his free-spirited friend’s attention. 

"Wow! That's the new iPhone 5s!" Kou cried out, snatching the phone out of Akihito's hand. "I've been saving for three months for this model!"

"Why? Is it a good brand? It’s really easy to use…" Akihito said.

"Lucky...your life is really turning into something isn't it? You're like that Sarah girl from Little Princess” Kou teased.

"No way! I’m not a princess! Isamu-san may spoil me a little, but he's still strict! He doesn’t just let me run wild." Akihito said as he watched Kou explore his phone. 

"I really want to see your new life now" Takato commented. 

"Here, I've input our numbers into your contacts and I've downloaded some games for you and some popular apps" Kou said, handing the phone back to Akihito.

"Thanks, but I don't know how to play them" 

"There's instructions before you start. Give them a try, you'll like them." 

Akihito smiled as he strolled through his phone and saw the names “Kou” and “Takato” in it.

When the waitress finally arrived with their food, Akihito’s stomach grumbled out loud. His face turned a light tint of pink as the group laughed. It has been a while since the last time he had eaten fast food, and the aroma of the melted cheese inside the burger and the garlic fries got his mouth and stomach aching. Now living the good life, his diet was of the highest grade. No junk, no preservatives, no transfat, and no nothing that could make a dish taste better. He missed the taste of junk food on his pallet; the lard, the oil, the golden fried goodness. The chief back home always lectured him on hygiene in public restaurant; especially fast food joints. But for someone who has actually eaten food from trash cans, Akihito didn't really care. 

~~~~~

Quietly flipping over the estate’s wall, Akihito crawled from tree to tree until he finally arrived in the unit which housed his room. With quiet socked feet, Akihito tip toed inside and quickly made it up to his room. It was well after midnight, and his phone displayed eight missed calls. Akihito can’t imagine what would be in store for him if Takeo or any of the guards were to catch him sneaking in. Heck, the guards might actually mistake him for an assassin and shoot him. Lucky for him, he hasn’t hit his teenage growth spurt just yet, so he was still relatively small in size.

After closing the door without making even one sound, Akihito let out a sigh of relief. But his relief was short lived.

"Finally home?" The shadow – which Akihito had yet to notice – sitting on the couch in his living room spoke and Akihito flinched. His little room which Takeo had especially designed and built for him was deadly quiet. It was nearly two in the morning so the two maids and Kujo must have already fallen asleep in their own quarters, along with Takeo and anyone else. Akihito had thought he could sneak inside, but he was wrong. 

His room was located away from the main unit of the estate but was still connected to the main building. The whole entire building by itself was a traditional design but Takeo had his room, only, renovated with a modern twist to suit a young teenager’s taste. The man had several extra rooms built in case Akihito made friends and wanted to invite then over. A kitchen was also constructed, but separated from his room so the maids could cook or bake something for him in cause he gets hungry between meals or in the middle of the night. Takeo even replaced the Tatami mats for soft, plush carpets for Akihito's comfort. A large forty-two inch television was installed into the wall of the living room along with a set of cream, leather sofas with velvet and cotton cushions, and a shiny crystal coffee table in the middle to tie it all together. Akihito said glass or wood was fine, but his guardian insisted on a crystal one because it was a lot heavier and sturdier. The older man was afraid of Akihito breaking the glass or wood and harming himself on the broken fragments. Akihito is grateful for the concern he is receiving from Takeo, but sometimes, he fear his guardian might one day wrap him up completely in bubble wrap for the rest of his life.

His little room was very tasteful and bright, but tonight, it held a menacing feel to it. Takeo Isamu had been waiting for him on his couch the whole night. He had spent the entire day outside without telling anyone where he was. He had turned off his cell phone so nothing could ruin his fun, and he left Asami Raiju side at the school to be fed to the desperate horny piranhas of the school without even a notice. He can definitely see Takeo ticked off. 

"I-I'm back..." Akihito replied. _Great Akihito, is that all you could have said?_

The large shadow beckoned for him to come towards him and Akihito did. He slowly dragged his feet forward with his eyes on the floor. He was feeling a little scared now; Takeo has never been this quiet towards him before. This sudden change scared him.

"I-Isamu-san....let me explain first..." Akihito pleaded as he walked to stand in front of the man who was deadly relaxed into the leather sofa. The moon light shining into the room was the only light present currently, but it was still strong enough to reveal Takeo's unsmiling features, and the deep scar that covered his handsome face. 

"Alright, go ahead Akihito" Takeo gestured for Akihito to continue on with his explanation and Akihito trembled at the chilling calmness in the man. 

"I went to visit my two friends. I suddenly disappeared on them so I felt I need to inform them that I'm alright now..." Akihito began. 

"Does that give you an excuse to turn your cell phone off and run around the city until well past midnight?" Takeo cut in. 

Akihito remained silent. "I was afraid-" he finally spoke but was quickly cut off.

"And does that give you an excuse to jump out of the classroom window and run out of the estate without informing anyone?" Takeo interrupted. 

Akihito remained silent.

Takeon continued. "What were you afraid of Akihito? That I would say no to you visiting your friends? I had plans to invite them here this weekend, but being the impatient little thing that you are, you just couldn't wait."

"No..." Akihito replied quietly. "I'm sorry..."

Takeo let out a sigh and stood up. Akihito flinched and backed up instinctively. The older man definitely seemed colder tonight, and also angry. And Akihito can't blame him. He had worried his guardian. He only thought of himself when he road through the streets of the city with his two friends, completely ignoring the concern and trouble he could have caused back at home. His maids probably got a scolding. Kujo probably got put on probation or something for not doing his job properly. And who knows, maybe Harashi and the guards stationed around the grounds also got into trouble, and the blame all fell onto him. 

"I'm sorry..." Akihito said again, hiding his face behind his fringes.

“What on earth do you want me to do with you, you mischief little runt?” Takeo said under his breath and Akihito whimpered. “Tell me, what did you do all day? Where did you go?” the man demanded.

Akihito lifted his head. “I went around the shopping district with Kou and Takato…we ate a lot of fast food and played in an arcade…then they took me to the hills to watch the sun set…”

“Hoh? Arcade? Sunset? What a day you have had” the older man smirked, but his expression was still dry and cold.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, but I really wanted to go out by _myself_. Not with Kujo or anyone else” Akihito said. “I eat the best food, wear the best clothes, and use the best things, but it’s like a prison sometimes. It’s really boring and frustrating most of the times. Today, when I realized I was _really alone_ , I just had to grab hold of this opportunity and use it…by myself.”

Takeo sighed. “You really can’t stand any restrictions can you?” he muttered to himself, giving Akihito a quick ruffle of the hair. “It’s too late tonight, go to bed. But don’t think that pouty little face of yours will get you off the hook this time. You escaped from Harashi, evaded Raiju, and caused countless numbers of worries today. You’ve completely disregarded even the most basic manner. I also see that your schooling has not made any advances forward either. If you were half as creative as you are with your studies, as you are with your mischievous scheming’s’, you wouldn’t have to sneak out secretly to play. You’re completely wasting my money and Harashi’s time.”

Akihito bit his bottom lip. He didn’t have an argument. Takeo had every right to scold him like this. “I’m really sorry…”he said in a shaky voice.

“I want you to write fifty copies of Kenko Yoshida’s tsurezuregusa as punishment and turn it in within five days for me to see. You must also memorize the contents and read it out loud to me. You must explain the meaning the monk was trying to convey in each passage, and in addition, you must present your own point of view on the topic and have in for me ready in the form of an oral essay. Understand?”

Akihito’s head flew up, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What…?” he muttered.

“You have five days” Takeo said, smiling a little now.

“Fifty copies? And I have to do analysis and memory work? There’s no way I can do it…! What if I can’t finish?”

“You’ll just have to give up some leisure time.”

“But there’s no way I can write fifty copies! Can it be twenty instead?” Akihito negotiated.

“Sixty copies” Takeo said, and Akihito’s eyes widened even more.

“How about thirty then?” The boy tried again.

“How about seventy then?” Takeo said, smirking.

Akihito groaned out in frustration. “Alright, fifty copies” he said, giving in.

“Alright, in five days, I expect to see _seventy_ copies on my desk. There are two hundred and forty three passages to the essay, you only have to write out the first twenty” Takeo said. “They are quite short, but vary in length so it shouldn’t take you too long.”

“No….”Akihito whined. “Please no…can’t you just hit me instead?” he suggested.

Takeo chuckled lightly. “You’d prefer physical punishment?”

“Yeah…I mean, after a while, it would all be over…” Akihito mumbled as he played with his thumb like a little boy.

“Then you will learn nothing. Didn’t you say so yourself? That beating only enhanced hate? That they never taught you anything in the end?” Takeo said. “Kenko’s work may be old, but it is a gem. He is a Buddhist monk. You might learn something valuable from his work.”

Akihito groaned.

“Good night kiddo” Takeo said, giving Akihito a gentle kiss to the head before turning to leave.

 _One more try._ Akihito thought.

“Fifty copies?” Akihito called out after the older man.

Takeo stopped in his track and smirked. “Fifty copies.”

~~~~~

Without Kirishima around to help him, the amount of hours he had to spend each day at work increased immensely. God was his hand itching to give Akihito a good spanking. If it wasn’t for the brat and his devious ideas of revenge, he wouldn’t be drowning in his paper works – literally. 

Asami sighed as one his stand-in secretary brought over another stack of reports and proposals. His head was already bloated, and the sun’s rays’ shining through the window only fueled his frustration and fatigue further.

“Asami-sama” Suoh called as he entered into the office.

“What is it?”

“Akihito-kun is on the phone. He wishes to speak with you” Suoh explained, passing his cell phone over to his boss.

Now this was unusual. The kid never called him. The only times the two of them interacted was during Akihito’s regular visits to Tokyo.

Taking the phone from Suoh, Asami relaxed into his chair, and put the folders aside. Even though Akihito is the source of his stress, perhaps right now, the boy can de-stress him a little.

“Akihito?” he spoke into the phone.

 _“Ryuu-nii?”_ the crisp, boyish voice sounded out over the other line.

“How did you get Suoh’s number?”

_“I asked Kujo…Ummm…is four-eyes around?”_

“Kirishima is still at home resting. He’ll be back next week. Do you need something from him?” Asami asked as he pulled out a cigarette from the pack.

 _“No, It’s just, if he’s around and hears this, he’ll hold it over my head forever…”_ Akihito said. _“I need a favor. Can you help me?”_

“Perhaps. What is it?”

 _“Isamu-san told me to write fifty copies of this monk’s essay. Tsuregu --- something. It’s already been three days and I’ve only got twenty-two copies. He’s expecting me to present it to him in two days. Can you help me write a few copies? Kujo and my two maids are already helping as much as they can. I can’t ask any of the other servants…they might tell on me.”_ Akihito explained his dilemma over the phone.

“Why did Takeo tell you to write fifty copies?” Asami asked as he inhaled a breath full of nicotine into his system.

_“I did something I wasn’t supposed to, and he got angry.”_

Asami chuckled lightly. “Shouldn’t you take full responsibility then? Why are you letting other’s take your punishment on your behalf?”

 _“Because I can’t do fifty copies in five days! I also have to understand what this monk is talking about, and I have to submit my own opinions on the main idea! I really need help!”_ Akihito pleaded.

“Do you at least know what the title means?” Asami asked.

_“…..not really….Harashi-sensei was ordered to remain silent…”_

“It means The Harvest of Leisure. He writes about Buddhist truths.”

“Thanks, but can you help me write a couple of copies?” 

“I don’t think I can Akihito. I have my own work to do. Besides, you should take responsibility for your own misconduct. And I believe Takeo expects you to write this yourself, _without_ any help.”

_“Probably…but he never said I can’t get any help…he didn’t specify.”_

_Cunning little minx_ Asami thought as he chuckled. “I’m sorry Akihito, you’re on your own. This is your fight.”

_“Please!!!”_

“Akihito, whining won’t get you anywhere” Asami warned.

_“Please Ryuu-nii? I’ll pay you back! I’ll help you with your homework!”_

Asami laughed. “I don’t get homework anymore.”

_“You know what I mean. Your paper work and stuff. I can help you sort them for you.”_

“No can do kiddo.”

 _“Please please please!!!”_ Akihito continued to beg, using and reusing that magic word over and over again. When all he got was the sound of smoke being exhaled, Akihito felt his frustration level rise. _“Ryuichi…you…you.”_ Akihito stuttered, trying to find another magic word that’ll convince Asami to help him. _“Ryuichi you’re ugly!”_ he suddenly blurted out without even a thought. He was frustrated. Asami was supposed to be family and friend, so why wasn’t he helping him? Without another word, Akihito angrily he slammed down his phone.

Asami chuckled, handing the cell phone back to Suoh. “The little brat called me ugly” he told his guard.

“He is still a child” Suoh reminded him.

“Indeed.”

~~~~~

“Akihito-kun” Kiku, one of his maids hired by Takeo to take care of him, approached him with a package in hand.

“What is it?”

“This was delivered for you this morning” the young maid said, handing a thick manila envelope over to Akihito.

Tearing the top open, Akihito reached inside and pulled out a stack of paper, covered in beautiful Kanji characters written elegantly by hand. He counted the number of pages. It was exactly enough to match an even fifty.

“There’s no sender, the envelope is blank” Kiku pointed out.

“I know who, Asami Ryuichi…” Akihito said in a small, almost love-sick like, voice.

Kiku smiled gently at him. “Asami-sama is very kind towards you.”

“Yeah he’s really nice sometimes. I really like him” Akihito said, smiling. “But his handwriting is too pretty and professional…he should have written it a bit messier…”


	11. An Old Cypress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and its characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warning: oc, ooc, au, underage, unedited
> 
> A/N: A friend told me the story where he got his first erection by climbing up a tree...so here's to you buddy :p It's been a while since I've written lemon so I'm rusty ^^ I thought I'd advance the AxA relationship forward a little with this chapter. Hopefully it wasn't too big of a jump. Thanks for reading!

**

Chapter 10 An Old Cypress

**

“Ryuuuuu – ichiiiiiii!!!!” came the cry accompanied by the vigorous stomping of running little feet from down the hall. Asami turned around towards the cry of his name when a sudden hundred and ten pound little animal pounced and without restraint, jumped onto his back and straddled him like a horse.

“Trick or treat!” Akihito shouted as he dangled his pumpkin basket in front of Asami’s face.

Asami chuckled as he plucked the boy off of him and placed him back down onto the floor. “And what are you supposed to be?” he asked, as he motioned one of the nearby maids to drop some candy into the boy’s basket.

“Can’t you tell? I’m a sushi” Akihito said, spinning around. “Here’s the seaweed” he said, pointing at the thick, seaweed belt. “And here’s the fish. It’s salmon. I love salmon!” he said, turning around to show the large, sashimi plush toy strapped to his back.

“I would eat you” Asami said teasingly and chuckled when the boy blushed.

“So what are you doing at your father’s house? Don’t you live alone?”

“Just here for a visit, and to talk some business with my father.” Asami replied.

“Hey remember two weeks ago you said you would show me your penthouse? You said I can sleep over sometime. Are you going to follow through on your promise soon?” Akihito asked.

“When I have time, you are welcome to come over”

“Okay, you’re not allowed to back out!” Akihito said. “So do you have anytime right now?”

“I told you, I have a meeting with my father.”

“Hurry then, I want to go for another round!”

“Akihito…Please, no more” Kujo, who finally caught up to him, pleaded. “It’s already nine-thirty, and all of your friends and most of the kids have already gone home.”

Kujo honesty did not know where this kid got his energy from, but if he were to ever find the source, he would gladly unplug it. Every time he took Akihito outside to play, he ends up running all around town after the kid. He doesn’t even wear his leather loafers anymore. It was always top quality sneakers from now on – courtesy of Takeo Isamu. And today, he brought out his best pair of Nike’s shoes for it was Halloween. Little energetic bunnies running around the streets in the dark of the night; it was like walking into a lion’s open mouth. God knows which ones on the streets tonight are pedophiles, murderers, or psychopaths under those costumes. He’d be damned if he lost sight of Akihito on Halloween.

Akihito headed out for the streets with a couple of his friends – Kou, Takato and a few others – at six thirty. It was now nine-thirty and the kid was still pumped. Perhaps he should have stopped Akihito from eating all those candy while he was running from house to house, and apartment to apartment. Right now, he was sure Akihito’s blood sugar level was high enough to damn three elephants.

“Just one more round okay?” Akihito begged with his pouty face.

“Please, no more. We’ve already went around the neighbourhood twice. I’m sure the owners will recognize you if you went a third time. Plus, you’ve already gotten two pillow cases full of candy” Kujo tried reasoning.

“Fine” Akihito agreed reluctantly. “But I’m not going to bed! I still want to watch that movie!” he said as he pulled out a DVD case from his sack and turned towards Asami. “Hurry up and talk to your dad, then come watch the movie with us.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have the time to watch the movie Akihito. I have to head back to Tokyo afterwards.”

“It’s Halloween! You can’t finish off Halloween without a scary movie. All my friends went home already because they have school tomorrow, so come on, pleaseeee?!”

“Akihito” Asami warned sternly. “Don’t whine and behave yourself.” Akihito was getting a little out of hand. Whenever he said “no” to any of the boy’s request, Akihito would whine and raise his voice. He can’t have the boy thinking he can get whatever he wanted as long as he nagged and stomped his feet.

“I’m sorry…but I just want to spend time with you…” Akihito replied in a meek tone.

Asami smiled gently and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’ll see what I can do then” he said before walking away.

~~~~~

The Asami estate wasn’t much different compared to his home – one main building surrounded by several detached housings. The interior of these mansions all consisted of Japanese decors; bonsais, ikebana arrangements, kakejikus and much more. Even the dining room had the traditional legless chairs, low rise tables and tatami mats. Just like Isamu’s estate.

“This place is pretty similar to Isamu’s isn’t it?” Akihito asked.

“Yes, but Asami-sama’s houses are slightly bigger” Kujo replied.

“Since Asami-ojisan makes the bigger bucks, it’s expected of him to have bigger houses eh?” Akihito laughed. “All his kids are grown up so they don’t live here anymore right? But what about his wives or mistresses? Asami-ojisan must have more than one right? I mean, he has so many kids.”

“His wives have their own lodgings within the estate, and only his official mistress is allowed to live within the estate. The rest must live else were. But they and their families are provided for by Asami-sama until he moves on from them to another.”

“That sucks…..so how many wives does he have?” Akihito asked.

“I believe he had four wives.”

“Had? What happened?”

“I’m afraid that is not for me to say…” Kujo replied.

“Come on, just tell me. I would find out eventually anyways”

Sighing, Kujo gave in. “His first wife died. His second wife is living within the estate, but they are estranged. He divorced his third wife and banished his fourth for treason.”

Akihito’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. “Banished…?” He whispered. “Why….?

“I…” Kujo hesitated. This wasn’t the sort of thing he should be telling the young teen. Such personal affairs of the Asami household were not for the ears of newcomers; even if said newcomer was family. But he knew Akihito had phenomenal investigation skills. If he didn’t tell the kid, the kid would probably hurt himself getting it. “She betrayed Asami-sama and sold information to the enemy which nearly caused his downfall. Banishment was out of kindness, if not, then she would have been put to death.”

“Oh……” Akihito responded in a shaky tone. “T-this world Asami-ojisan is living in really is different. I-I mean, this woman…they were once in _love_ , they were friends, she even gave birth to _his children_ , but despite all this history, he still cold heartedly banished her…?” Akihito said.

“Asami-sama didn’t have a choice. He has an image to maintain. He would lose his respect if he chose a woman over his empire.”

“But he still did it…”

“Akihito, you must understand. In this world you now live in, loyalty is the most valued. Not life, love, obedience…but loyalty. To hold his empire and rule off the rocks, he must not allow even the slightest bit of weakness to escape, even if the one he must condemn is his own children or lover.”

Akihito shook his head. “No…I don’t understand it….I don’t understand it at all…this world I now live in….it is so much more difficult….I don’t want to understand it.”

“That is because having nothing is easier than having everything” Kujo replied.

“Ryuichi said that too…” Akihito recalled. “But still, Asami-ojisan held her, longed for her, suffered with her, and nurtured children with her…but despite all that, in the end he still…” Akihito trailed off and grew silent. Shaking the thought out of his head, Akihito pushed the piece of information to the back of his head and continued on with the exploration. This world which had opened its doors to him was not his world and he couldn’t find it in him to accept this new world which he now resides in. But can he really bring himself to run away from it? This new, heartless world of the elites which had caused him so much pain was the same world that offered him an infinite amount of sunshine. Will he really be able to throw it all away one day and live the life of an ordinary civilian? He keeps telling himself that no matter how glorious this elite world is, he will forever be normal and he will never be humble of his status. He won’t sore too high, and he won’t sore too low. Shaking his head, Akihito sighed. He wasn’t about to lose sight of his path, but he was still young. He shouldn't muddle his mind with such deep thoughts.

“What’s that over there” he asked, pointing at a little two story western style house located at the far back of the estate – remote, isolated and different from the other houses. He ran towards it with Kujo hot on his feet.

“Akihito! You can’t go over there” the guard called out, but Akihito ignored him and continued to run straight towards the house hidden away from the sun by trees and bushes.

He was breathing heavily once he reached the front of the house. “Kujo, why is this house in isolation? Why is it so far away from everything else?”

“Akihito, you can’t be here. This section is restricted. Nobody can enter without the elder Asami’s permission” Kujo told him as he tried to pull the boy away, but Akihito jerked his arm free.

“I wanna see! Just a peek okay?” he cried out as he ran around to the back of the building, leaving Kujo at the front of the house, cursing and looking around nervously.

“Akihito please” Kujo pleaded in a hushed whisper. “If we are caught, the consequences will be severe.”

“Don’t be such a wuss Kujo! I just want to see what’s inside” Akihito said as began climbing an old cypress that branched towards an open window on the second floor of the house. “Don’t worry, we won’t get in trouble.”

“No. You won’t get in trouble, but I will” Kujo sighed. He has already received a severe scolding from the other day for letting Akihito escape the estate by himself, and he wasn’t looking forward to another one. “Akihito! Get down now!” he demanded, trying to sound stern and parental-like as he watched the young teen move onto the thick branch like a caterpillar. “Akihito, this is serious. This place is forbidden.” Kujo tried again as he looked around to make sure there were no cameras or guards.

Suddenly, the sound of wood cracking permeated throughout the quiet twilight sky. Kujo immediately shot his head up to see the branch Akihito was currently in snapping away from the trunk.

“Akihito! The branch is going to snap! Hurry and get down!” He cried out quietly.

“Alright already!” Akihito said annoyingly. “It’s dark in there anyways…can’t see anything” he mumbled as he began to climb down slowly, keeping his body close to the tree for security.

Once he reached the ground, Kujo immediately tried to pull him away but he was reluctantly. He was curious, and it seems his curiosity overreached his fear for punishment or even death. The dismal house looked to be desolate. And Akihito couldn’t help but feel pity for the building and the inhabitants inside. It was as if the house had been forgotten and untouched by anything living for years, almost as if it was in a separate dimension. It was so grim, yet the attraction was so strong. Akihito couldn’t describe this feeling of attraction towards this particular house, but it was immensely powerful, and yet, there was a minuscule force that was pushing him away.

“Do you know what’s in there?” Akihito asked, but Kujo just shook his head as he pulled him away.

“Hey!” he suddenly shouted as he yanked away from Kujo’s hold and ran back towards the remote house, leaving Kujo to stand alone in the middle of the field; groaning and worrying for both their well-being. He was going to get into so much trouble.

“I think I saw a shadow move in that window! Who is it?” Akihito pointed out.

“I am not sure” Kujo replied with a heavy sigh.

“Is it one of Asami-ojisan’s kids? Oh, maybe it’s his estranged wife. You said she was still living here right?” Let’s invite her for the movie!”

“Akihito, I don’t think that is a good idea. The elder Asami’s relationship with his second wife isn’t…healthy…” Kujo informed but Akihito just brushed him off.

“How can it be healthy if they don’t talk it out? She lives in this isolated building, away from everybody else, she must be lonely. I’ll go knock on the door!” Akihito said as he ran up to the front steps but was quickly yanked back by the collar by Kujo.

“That is not a good idea Akihito!” Kujo warned sternly. “If you wish to mend their broken relationship, it is not a good idea to use the shock factor. Don’t just suddenly place her in front of Asami-sama and expect everything to be fixed. It might even become worse. You need to work slowly. Now let’s go back. If you wish to be of help, brainstorm a detailed plan instead of diving head first into a pool of sharks. You can start by investigating why their relationship shattered in the first place.”

Akihito nodded. “Okay then, why did their relationship shatter?”

“That piece of information is highly personal, so I do not know” Kujo said.

Akihito pouted. “Fine…but Asami-ojisan is busy with work so she can still join us for the movie. I’ll make sure they don’t run into each other.”

“It’s too risky. Perhaps another time when the elder Asami is out of town…” Kujo said but he quickly shut his mouth. Did he really just say that? When did he start helping Akihito come up with these mischievous, rule breaking schemes? He was suppose to prevent them, not support them. He was supposed to be a role model for the kid – influence him, not to be influenced by a fourteen year old and his devious little mind. “Come on Akihito, let’s go back. Maybe Ryuichi-sama is finished with his meeting and is waiting for you” Kujo said and Akihito’s eyes immediately twinkled. As if his initial curiosity never even existed, Akihito turned away from the isolated house and towards the main building. The effectiveness of Asami Ryuichi’s name has been remarkable so far. That name was a good way to control and handle the boy. Just the mentioning of the younger Asami’s name was able to steal Akihito’s attention away from almost anything he was doing. Not to mention, nothing seemed to excite the young boy more than spending even a few minutes with Asami Ryuichi. It seems Akihito enjoyed playing with the older man very much. But most little kids like to play with someone much older anyway.

Akihito followed after the relieved Kujo, but just before he fully committed to abandoning his curiosity, he turned around to face the house once more and waved at the shadow by the window before walking away.

~~~~~

“Nagi….come over here…” the woman called for her maid, who promptly made her way over to her mistress.

“Yes? Is everything alright?” the young maid named Nagi asked.

“Just now, there was a boy here…and he was with a man…his bodyguard I presume.”

“Yes mistress, I saw the boy from the back window while I was doing the dishes. He was climbing up the tree growing out back” the maid giggled as she recalled the boy’s childish attempts to peek into the window.

“Really? Why?” the woman asked softly.

“From what I’ve heard between the boy and the other man, he wanted to peek inside the house. To see what was inside.”

“I see…..do you know who he is? Is he another one of Raiju-sama’s bastard child?”

“He didn’t look like Asami-sama…and I didn’t hear anything about a new child. Perhaps he is the son of Asami-sama’s friend?” Nagi suggested.

“…..I didn’t see his face clearly, but he looked a little familiar. I wonder who he was….”

~~~~~

“Ewww!” Akihito, who had now changed out of his costume and into a stylish black vest with a striped tee shirt and jeans, cringed. “He’s cutting himself to feed her!” he cried out as he watched the human looking creature on the big screen TV feeding off of blood. The movie “Marebito” was suggested by Kou earlier today, so he had Kujo go to the video store to rent a copy so he could watch it.

“And a waste of a good camera” he pointed out. “If it were my camera, I would never leave it around something so destructive.”

Asami chuckled beside him. “Do you have cameras Akihito?”

“No…but I will soon” he told him. “I already bought a small one with my allowance. Once I save up some more, I’ll be buying the professional models like Masuoka in the movie here!”

“You like cameras Akihito?

“Yes I do. I love the feel of it in my hands, and I love that clicking sound when a picture is taken…I love everything about it. I just love capturing the moment and looking back at it.” Akihito explained excitedly.

“You have quite the little artist for a master here Kujo” Asami said to Kujo, chuckling as he ran his fingers through Akihto’s silky locks.

“Indeed” Kujo replied with a nod of the head.

“This movie is getting kind of boring…not enough gore….” Akihito interrupted with a yawn.

“There are empty rooms upstairs. You can stay here for the night, I’m sure Takeo won’t mind. Just ask one of the ladies outside and they will prepare a room for you” Asami said as he got up to leave but was quickly stopped by a little hand clenched tightly into the back of his suit jacket.

“Wait! Don’t go!” Akihito whined. “You literally just got here and you’re leaving already? And why are you so eager to go? You don’t want to spend time with me?” he asked with the look of a saddened puppy.

Asami turned around and pried Akihito’s hand off of his clothing. “I still have unfinished business to attend to. If I spend any more time with you, I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight” Asami explained.

“Come on, it’s already twelve. You shouldn’t be working so late anyways; it’s bad for your health” Akihito said as he forcefully pulled Asami back down onto the couch.

“Akihito, as much as I love to relax and unwind, I have important business to attend to….”

“You can leave it for tomorrow…or leave it to four-eyes. He’s your personal secretary right? It’s his job” Akihito interrupted. “Let’s talk if you don’t want to watch the movie.”

Asami sighed and gave in. Clearly, the kid had no intention of letting him leave for tonight. He might as well make small talk with the kid until he falls asleep. It was already twelve and Akihito’s lids were starting to droop. It shouldn’t take too long before the boy goes to sleep and he, back to his office.

“Alright, what would you like to talk about?”

“Ummm….tell me about your family, just how many siblings do you have again? I can’t remember.”

“I have one other brother and a sister” Asami said.

“Wow, so you dad has 3 kids? Are you the oldest?”

“No” Asami replied.

“You dad had four wives right? Which wife was your mom?” Akihito continued.

“His third wife” came the calm reply.

“The one he divorced?”

“Yes. The divorce was mutual though.”

“Your mom doesn’t live here?” Akihito asked as he played with Asami’s tie, wrapping the silk fabric around his finger, and then releasing it.

“No, she lives separately from us.”

“That’s kinda sad….If I had a mom, I would be sad if I wasn’t able to see her all the time…” Akihito whispered as he went to loosen Asami’s tie.

“We still keep in contact, but business has prevented us from meeting more often than we’d like.”

“Oh….Hey, your dad must have been very young when he got his first kid” Akihito said, who now had Asami’s tie completely untied and was attempting to retie it himself.

“Indeed he was. He was twenty when he held his first born in his arms” Asami said as he lifted his chin up a bit so the boy could play with his tie more easily.

“Wow…and you’re twenty-six and not even in a relationship” Akihito snickered as he rested his drowsy head against Asami’s chest. “You know, today, I saw someone living in that isolated house at the very back of the estate…do you know who lives there?”

Asami’s breathing suddenly stopped and Akihito felt it but remained silent. Asami shot a look over a Kujo, who immediately mouthed an apology. “You’re not allowed over there Akihito. Don’t ever go there again understand?”

Akihito looked up into the older man’s eyes, which were now solid and icy. “Why? He asked. “What’s over there that’s so secretive?”

“Don’t ask anymore” Asami said sternly, and Akihito pouted, not liking this sudden change in character at all.

“Just tell me who lives there and I won’t ask anymore.”

Asami sighed. “Her name is Asami Kasumi. My father’s second wife.”

“I thought so, but why is she there by herself in such a secluded place? It’s so lonely.”

“I thought you said you won’t ask anymore?” Asami said as he wrapped his arm around the boy and began rocking back and forth slowly, hoping to put the child to sleep soon so he could go back to the office.

“Just tell me” Akihito whined lazily.

“…She has committed a great offence against my father.”

“What did she do?” Akihito asked with a yawn.

“She committed adultery with my father’s most trusted man.”

“Are you hostile against her too?” Akihito continued as he rubbed his dropping eyes.

“No. Go to sleep Akihito and no more questions” Asami said as he placed a soft kiss on the boy’s forehead.

“It’s not fair…why are men of all status and position, allowed to have any amount of women they  
want? I find it repulsive that men require women to be faithful until death, but they themselves can play with anyone they want.”

Asami smiled. “It has been like this since the beginning of man-kind.”

“You’re going to be like your dad too aren’t you? I feel sorry for the girl who marries you in the future…” Akihito pointed out.

“You don’t trust me to be faithful Akihito?” Asami chuckled lightly and slowly began to massage Akihito’s cheek with his thumb.

“I don’t know…but isn’t there a saying? A son will follow in his father’s footsteps? Like father like son?”

“It’s only a saying. But when you become a man, perhaps you will understand. Now go to sleep.” Asami said but sighed when Akihito opened his mouth to speak once more.

“I don’t think I will understand. When I enter into a relationship, I will be responsible and faithful.”

“When you enter into that stage in life, you might notice men are easily enticed and relented, and find it onerous to be steadfast and faithful. There are many things men cannot help. After all, a man’s ambitions are boundless and cannot be constraint. It is easy for men to feel affection but difficult to guard it. It is easy for men to be touched but difficult to be devoted. Understand?”

“No I don’t” Akihito bluntly replied and Asami chuckled.

“You might one day. When you have grown up” he said, patting the boy’s shoulder.

“Can I ask you one more thing?” Akihito looked up with his big hazel eyes and asked as he fisted the back of Asami’s suit.

Asami sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “One more.”

Leaning forward until he was right next to Asami’s ear, Akihito whispered “How do you take care of it?” he asked, not wanting Kujo to hear.

Asami looked down at the mellowed out boy. “Take care of what?”

“You know… _it_ …” Akihito stressed quietly as he eye’s switched back and forth from between Asami and his crotch.

Asami pondered for a moment and it finally hit him. “Do you mean an erection?” Asami clarified.

“Don’t say it out loud! I don’t want Kujo to hear and yes, what do you do when you get one?”

“I usually find a woman or a cute young boy to help me take care of it” Asami said half-jokingly, chuckling when Akihito’s face turned bright red.

“But what if you can’t find anybody?” What do you do?”

“Why such a question Akihito?” Asami asked, curious.

“Well…I don’t know how to take care of it…I had my first real ejaculation at thirteen, and it was because perverted old men couldn’t take their hands off of me. And from there on, there was always someone there to “help” me when I got one. And after that mayor got me hooked on those drugs, I had several bodily dysfunctions…like erectile dysfunction. But since I’m all healthy now and recovered, I’ve started to get them again…erections…once in a while…and I’m not sure how to take care of it when I get one…” Akihito whispered shyly into Asami’s clothed chest.

“Most boys your age use their hands to ejaculate” Asami said pointedly but Akihito shook his head.

“I’ve tried but it didn’t help that much. I think I’m too used to being touched by someone else…or maybe it’s the drugs…but I’m a lot less sensitive to my own touch…” Akihito said as he inched closer to Asami’s ear, to ensure Kujo could not hear the topic of their conversation. He didn’t feel comfortable letting the guard in on the topic, and yet, he had no problems talking to Asami about such things – it felt strange but he was comfortable talking to Asami about all sorts of things. The two of them really were like brothers.

“You just have to do it more often, and then you will get use to the feeling. However, I would suggest not doing it too much. If you get too accustomed to the feel of your own hands, you may find yourself unable to reach release when you have your first sexual experience.”

“Yeah, but….could you help me right now though? It’s really uncomfortable, rubbing against my pants…” Akihito muttered shyly with his reddened face buried deep into his suit.

Asami lifted a brow. “How did that happen? Did seeing the girl naked in the movie turn you on?” Asami asked as he tilted the boy’s chin up so their eyes could meet.

“No….I was climbing a tree earlier and….it rubbed against the trunk and….that naked girl in the movie only made it worse and…well you know….” Akihito embarrassingly explained while Asami chuckled teasingly.

“Just that little bit of stimulation was able to get you hard?” Asami asked.

“Yeah….and now all this talk has made me even harder. I don’t think I can walk to a bedroom without Kujo noticing. It’s embarrassing…”

“But telling me these sorts of things isn’t embarrassing?” Asami mused.

“It is! But I feel I can talk to you about these sorts of things….” Akihito whispered.

Asami was surprised at the amount of trust and reliance the boy had for him. It was odd too. Akihito spent most of his time with Takeo and Kujo, and yet, the boy comes to him to talk about such private matters. Chuckling while shaking his head, Asami stood from the couch with Akihito cradled in his arms and made for the door. “Kujo, inform Takeo that Akihito will be spending the night here. I am going to put him to bed. A guest room will be prepared for you next to his.”

“Yes sir” Kujo replied with a bow before pulling out his cell phone to call his boss.

Once they’ve reached the guest room where Akihito would be spending the night, Asami carried him into the bathroom and placed him down on the blue tiled floor and began to unbuckle the boy’s belt.

Akihito felt his face heat up and bloom into a radiant rose as he watched Asami’s skilful fingers slowly slide his jeans off from his legs, then his army boxer-briefs from his hips.

“Take off your shirt if you don’t want it to get dirty” Asami instructed and Akihito hesitantly removed his casual black vest and striped tee shirt before tossing it to the side, leaving himself completely naked against the pale blue tiles of the bathroom.

He tried to cover himself, especially his obvious erection, as he whole body blushed in embarrassment.

Asami smiled as he removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The boy’s creamy white skin looked absolutely delicious against the ceramic tiles. If Akihito were a few years older, he would without a doubt show the boy the true pleasures of the flesh. But Akihito was too young, and he was like a little pet kitten to him – not a sex kitten. But damn can the boy blossom into a beautiful one with the right amount of training. The boy had the largest, shiniest eyes. And those hazel pupils only enhanced his sensuality. Boys’ with big, bright eyes looking up at him from their knees while they sucked his cock was something that could get him off almost right away. And Akihito possessed the best eyes he has ever seen. But no, he knew better then to think of Akihito like that. The boy deserves a lot better, and he was supposed to be a mentor, a role model to the boy. He knew his boundaries. Besides, the kid wasn’t even of consent age.

Akihito shivered as he watch Asami roll up his sleeves and unbutton the top two buttons of his dress shirt with his undone tie hanging around his heck. It was just a simple act – rolling up a sleeve, but to his eyes, it was undoubtedly sexy. Asami’s long, manicured finger’s slowly moving with grace as he pulled up the cotton sleeve to reveal his hidden muscles. Even with clothes on, Akihito could tell the man was covered in nothing but lean muscle if that little peek of chest Asami was showing and those forearms – those strong, toned forearms - were anything to indicate. He felt his cock throb harder than ever at the thought of being enveloped and caressed in that large, warm hand. It certainly would be better than his, thin little fingers.

“Come sit here Akihito” Asami said as he hooked his hands underneath Akihito’s arms and lifted him up to sit on one of the counters so that Akihito’s back was touching his chest.

Akihito fisted his dress shirt for support, and he heard the boy suck in a soft breath when his hand approached the weeping shaft and he chuckled. “I haven’t even touched you yet and you’re already feeling it?”

“I’m really hard….” Akihito moaned.

Sliding his other hand down to Akihito’s smooth and small torso, Asami grabbed onto it to support the boy as he’s hand slowly enveloped around Akihito’s throbbing cock.  
The boy jerked a little and buried his face between the juncture of his shoulder and neck. Asami chuckled lightly at the tiny whimpers and moans he received from such a simple and delicate touch.

“Relax Akihito”

“It’s been a while so….” Akihito began.

“Just relax” Asami instructed as he began to gently move his hand up and down the small erection.

“It’s kind of embarrassing…how small it is….” Akihito muttered.

“You’re still going through puberty. Give it time and it will grow” Asami said against Akihito’s small neck.

His finger’s reached up to touch the tip of the head and it earned him one long delicious moan from the glowing boy.

“You just open up like a flower, don’t you?” Asami teased as Akihito completely gave himself up to his touches.

“Don’t just skim your hand up and down…it tickles.”

“Would you like me to be more aggressive Akihito?” Asami asked and Akihito nodded shyly.  
It wouldn’t take long for the boy to come, but Asami wanted to draw out the experience. It hasn’t even been a minuet and Akihito was already completely immersed in pleasure. Never has he had a boy whose reaction was so innocent yet so wanton. Slowly, Asami dipped two fingers into the ridge that runs the length of the underside of the shaft and began to massage the soft skin, earning him a lovely moan and a very arousing teary face.

“Did you like that Akihito? Has anyone touched you here before?” he asked, lightly biting the shell of the boy’s ears as he continued to draw circles along the ridge.

“No…never….” Akihito said breathlessly.

“How about this? We can’t leave out the accessories now can we…” Asami spoke gently as he began fondling with the boy’s balls while forming a ring with his fingers at the base of the boy’s shaft to prevent a premature release.

Asami smiled when he saw Akihito’s toes curl and decided to advance further. He moved his hands away from the base and enveloped his entire hand around the boy’s leaking organ. 

Akihito’s size was indeed quite small so he had no trouble fitting its entirety into the palm of one hand and giving it a good, gentle twist, causing the boy’s head to spin.

“….Ryuu…Ryuu-nii…it feels good….don’t stop….” Akihito moaned out wantonly as he immersed himself in the feeling.

Rubbing his fingers against the now come covered organ, Asami moved his other hand away from the boy’s torso and dipped it down pass the balls to massage the nerve packed skin down below.  
The boy cried out when the fingers rubbed against the skin and tried to move away from the sudden pleasurable, but shocking feeling, however, he was trapped between Asami’s two iron-like arms.

“Look up Akihito” Asami cooed and Akihito lifted his head, only to be met with his hot flushed face in the mirror in front of him.

“No!” he cried out and quickly buried his burning face back into Asami’s chest.  
“Look up Akihito” Asami said again, but the boy shyly shook his buried head. “Look at what I am doing to you. Look at where my hands are” he whispered gently and with great reluctance, Akihito face the mirror and focused his attention onto the lower half of his body and moaned in embarrassment.

It felt so good. Asami wasn’t doing much – just sliding up and down and rubbing the head of his cock – but the man’s dominance and power enhanced the play ten folds. Asami was unlike any other men that had felt him up. Asami took great care in enhancing his pleasure; the man focused on him. The man wasn’t sloppy. Asami touched him everywhere, and even some places he didn’t know could be touched. Asami rubbed and massaged certain parts of his cock that he didn’t know were possible. As he quickly immersed himself into the pleasure, he’s hips jerked when he felt a gentle squeeze on the head of his shaft. Asami was massaging the secret parts of his body so skillfully, and just when Akihito thought he had finally adjusted to the new touch, Asami surprised his body with yet another foreign sensation.

He can’t last much longer. He felt his balls draw up and his cock twitch uncontrollably. Even his body was shaking with anticipation. He had no idea a hand job could be so good. Before, it was painful. The men he did have touching him were rough. They liked to see him in pain so they twisted his cock like they twisted a thanksgiving turkey’s leg off of the body. But Asami was gentle with a touch of sexual aggressiveness in his skills.

Akihito withered against the man’s chest as he felt his last thread of consciousness escape him. 

Asami’s finger’s pinched and rubbed the head while the palm of the hand slid up and down the shaft – the combination was too overwhelming for him.

“I-I can’t anymore…gonna come…gonna come…” Akihito panted.

“Then come Akihito, don’t hold back” Asami urged as he gave the burning organ in his hand another few hard strokes before Akihito cried out and his body spazzed violently in the older man’s hold. The boy’s body shuddered for a couple of seconds before falling back and collapsing against his chest, heaving.

Wiping the come off of his hand with a towel, Asami quickly cleaned up the exhausted Akihito and smiled down at the boy, who he was finally able to put to sleep.


	12. Seeing Myself in a Dream, I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder, its characters and any recognizable ideas belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: oc, ooc, au, underage, unedited
> 
> Spoilers: a little tiny bit from finder no rakuin
> 
> A/N sorry x 10000 for the slow chapters, but I have been legitimately lazy (not to mention I am much loved by busy bees). Thank you naggy nelly...*ahem, I mean darkhime88 (XD) for her reminders every time. As always, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! (ps, when I went back to the motherland a few years back, my uncle took me to a high class grocery store (they exist o.o) and this was what it was kinda like...)

**

Chapter 11 Seeing Myself in a Dream, I

**

Today, Akihito was excited for a very good reason. Asami was finally following through on his promise to let him sleep over at his penthouse in Tokyo. He couldn’t contain his pounding heart as he sat in the waiting area outside of Asami’s office. He wasn’t allowed in this time because the older man was in a meeting of some sort with a politician he’d never heard of. This morning, as soon as he entered Asami’s office, he was shooed out by the secretary, Kirishima – who was quite pissed when he saw him might he add. He has been waiting for nearly two hours, and nothing. Kujo wasn’t with him this time because he has a date and good for him too. Akihito was sick of Kujo tailing him twenty-four seven without a break. He needed a break from the guard and Akihito was a hundred and twenty percent certain the guard needed a break from him.

He was going to be completely alone with Asami Ryuichi for the entire weekend. They can order take out, watch movies, play games together. Akihito had lists of activities in mind, but he had to wonder, wasn’t Asami much too mature for such childish games? The man was a full fledge adult with a shit load of money. The things Asami would enjoy would probably be sex and alcohol, not things like Plants vs Zombies, Marvel movies, and soda. However, there was something he wanted to find out this weekend, and that was whether there was some sort of intimate connection between the two of them. Whenever he was around Asami, he would be treated so affectionately. The gentle touches, the soft brush of the cheek, the light kisses on the head…these little acts of affection doesn’t seem to suit a man like Asami Ryuichi. If Asami had a son or daughter, Akihito was sure the man would show love to them in a cold and indirect manner. But why is he different? Why was the treatment received by him so different from what he had imagined of Asami’s character?

Asami Ryuichi was infinitely attractive. From the first moment they have meet, Akihito knew that. He couldn’t stop thinking about that sculptured face and that toned body after their first encounter in Ginza – which made him conceive feelings of jealousy. But after the moment they shared right before his introduction into this world several months ago, the gentleness Asami displayed warmed and calmed his soul and heart. It was then Akihito knew, he felt an attraction, but what he has yet to figure out was, is it a romantic attraction, a sexual attraction? Or just the basic everyday attraction friends and family have for each other.

Akihito was certain of one thing for sure. He was gay. He had known for a very long time. Back in the brothel, he would always witness the severe fucking given to the women there. They would bleed and scream as the withered old shafts penetrated into them. Akihito remembered their pained faces, and their desperate cries - as if they were being tortured to death. It terrified him and from there on, he vowed he would never hurt a woman. He would never enter them and cause them pain.

When the door to the office finally opened, the old politician stepped out with his skittish-looking secretary. The politician marched out angrily while the secretary followed after him like a beaten dog. The talk must have not gone well Akihito thought, but he was cut short when the old man stopped and skimmed his cloudy black eyes up and down his young body. Akihito shot him a glare, and the politician threw him a dirty look before leaving.

“Akihito, keep your distance from him” came the all too familiar baritone voice. Looking back at the office, Asami stood by the entrance and beckoned for Akihito to come in, and he did so gladly.

“What’s his problem?” Akihito asked. “Why do I need to stay away?”

“I refused his offer and it angered him. It’s very possible he would use coercion in the future so keep your distance” Asami explained as he escorted Akihito into safety.

“Why did you refuse?”

“It wasn’t beneficial for me.” Asami answered simply.

“Oh…” Akihito said. “So um…what are we going to do now?” he asked a moment later, changing the subject. He knew Asami didn’t like it when he tried to dig too deeply into his business.

“I’ve cleared out the rest of the day and the entire weekend for you. What would you like to do?”

Akihito’s eyes tinkled. “I was thinking we hit the super market and stock up on junk food. Then we go to your place and do whatever we want for the rest of the day!” Akihito proposed with a bright smile on his face.

Asami chuckled. “I see no problems with the proposition. Kirishima, you know what needs to be done”

“Yes sir” Kirishima replied with a bow and Akihito headed towards the elevators with Asami behind him.

The elevator ride down to the parking garage was in silence. Akihito was dying for Asami to break the awkwardness between them but looking up at the older man, Akihito could tell Asami was exhausted, but did well to mask it, so he decided to give Asami some peace and quiet. Once they reached the sleek black car parked off to the sides, Asami opened the driver’s door and slipped in.

“You’re driving?” Akihito asked.

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No” Akihito quickly replied. “It’s just that, I always see Kirishima or Suoh driving you around. I didn’t know you drove.”

Asami smirked. “I have a license, and a very clean driving record. I am capable of driving myself around.”

“Then why have I never seen you drive?”

“Because you always visit during work hours. As someone who holds power, it is expected that I arrive with a chauffeur to meetings and gatherings. Or else my station might be questioned.”

“That’s kind of stupid…and you always sit in the back seat. Isamu-san sits in the back too. Sitting in the passenger seat is so much more fun, you can capture everything in front of you. Like a movie almost. I don’t get why you guys are so attached to the back seats…”

“It’s because people of importance sits in the back – to show off their status. That's how it always was”

“This is ridiculous…who cares who’s more important and who isn’t? Aren’t we all supposed to be equals?” Akihito asked.

“Not at all. There is no equality among anyone. And there might never be.You should know that better than anyone.”

“How come?” Akihito asked but Asami didn’t answer as he pulled up in front of a large grocery store. “Wow, classy looking place” he commented

“It’s the best store here” Asami said.

“It’s also the most expensive right? Why don’t we just go to a regular store, you know, for commoners” Akihito replied with a hint of sarcastic undertone.

“Because they have high quality goods. If you’re going to stuff yourself full of garbage, I would prefer them to be better in quality. You get what you paid for after all. Besides, this store carries many imported snacks from abroad. You might enjoy the variety” Asami said as he got out of the car. “Go get a shopping cart.” Akihito complied.

The inside of the grocery store was bright and inviting. The floors were all sparkling marble – not a speck of dust – unlike regular grocery stores. There was soft instrumental music playing in the background - Tchaikovsky, and to top it all off, there were impeccably dressed sales person standing beside every section of the store, to offer immediate help when needed.

Picking up a bag of imported cashews, Akihito cringed at the price marked on the bag - ten thousand yen just for a measly kilogram of nuts. He could buy double the size for a few hundred yen almost anywhere else, and the taste would probably be no different.

“Do we have to shop here? Everything is so expensive…” Akihito asked, halting the shopping cart.

“Don’t worry about the price” Asami assured him. “Just get whatever you want.”

“Is it alright for you to spend so much on me?”

“Yes, simple groceries like these won’t put a dent in my wallet.”

Akihito frowned. “Now you’re deliberately being arrogant. You seem pretty confident. How much do you make in a year?”

“Quite the hefty amount” Asami chuckled as he patted Akihito’s head, completely ignoring Akihito’s pout when he avoided answering the boy’s question plainly.

Akihito always hated that about Asami, the fact that the man tip toes around his questions. All Akihito wants from Asami is one straight answer to his questions, but no, apparently, it could kill Asami to answer him straightforwardly. He had thought Asami and he would have developed a trusting and close relationship by now, but the older man was still dancing around him. Akihito wanted to probe further into Asami’s life, but whenever he tried, the older man would push him back to the entrance and sometimes, even throw him out the door.

“Why?”

Asami lifted a brow.

“Why do you always push me away? I want to get to know you better, get closer to you, but you always distance yourself whenever I try. I thought we were really close. I trust you a lot. I talk to you about a lot of things, but you never return the trust.”

Asami didn’t say anything; he just stared into those earnest eyes which were causing him uncomfort. Asami sighed. The kid was becoming too attached to him and it was something he was starting to fear. It was both good and bad. He enjoyed spending time with the boy, but Akihito’s attractiveness towards him might escalate to an unhealthy level. And especially with a past like Akihito’s – where he has never received any sorts of affection – the boy might really start to develop an unhealthy attachment towards him.

“There are just certain things adults can’t tell children. Some things just can’t be said. You must understand that.” Asami had a hunch Akihito might be gay. From the boy’s history, he wouldn’t be surprised if Akihito really was. But that is all the more dangerous for him. If Akihito were to feel a sexual attraction towards him, how is he supposed to let the kid down without offending and harming his family’s relationship with the Takeo’s and hurting Akihito? If Akihito’s feelings towards him are romantic or sexual, all the more reason he can’t tell Akihito certain things. If he were really to let the boy down one day, then Akihito would without a doubt harbour a feeling of hate towards him. And when children are angry, the first things on their minds would be revenge. And what better way for revenge then for Akihito to sell all his secrets to the public and for the power he had built to all collapse onto itself. Adults should never tell a child something important, because children don’t see boundaries. But even if Akihito’s attachment towards him wasn’t sexual or romantic, he still has to retain a certain degree of confidentiality between them, because Akihito is Takaba Yayoi’s son.

“When you’re all grown up and matured, I’ll tell you” Asami reassured with a pat on the head. “Now, hurry and get what you came for.”

Akihito let out a sigh and pushed the cart forward in silence. He was still a kid, and being a kid, there were certain things he wanted, but couldn’t obtain. He can’t wait to grow up, because once he does these boundaries between him and Asami will disappear. Passing by the snacks, Akihito picked out a small bag of seaweed flavoured chips - it was the cheapest one in the lane. Just as he tossed the small sized snack into the cart, Asami immediately grabbed it and threw it back on the shelf. Akihito looked up at him with a cute confused look which made Asami smile.

“Don’t get that Akihito. You may get whatever you want however much you want.”

“Really? Are you definitely sure?” Akihito asked with sparkling eyes.

“We are throwing a “slumber party” aren’t we?” Asami smirked and Akihito beamed a bright smile and began racing down the aisles.

As he speed walked down the aisles, Akihito grabbed whatever was in plain sight. By the time he exited the snacks aisles, the shopping cart held a mountain of cookies, chips, soda, and candy. He stopped by the seafood section and grabbed a few pre-packed bags of dried squid and fish. Next, he hit up the freezers and helped himself to several boxes of ice cream. Asami just smiled as he watched him.

~~~~~

“Let’s watch Totoro next” Akihito suggested as he swam through the empty candy bags and pop cans towards the DVD player. They just finished watching Spirited Away. Or more like, Akihito finished watching the animated movie while Asami just relaxed into the sofa with a glass of bourbon in his hand. The man’s eyes were focused on the movie, but Akihito noticed the vacancy in them. It was a mistake on his part to have chosen anime to watch with a grown, matured man. But he really wanted to watch Miyazaki Hayao’s collection. But he also didn’t want Asami to be bored and end their evening together. This weekend together was the chance for him to prove to Asami he too can be apart of the adult world.

“Ryu-nii…?” Akihito spoke but was quickly interrupted when the phone rang.

“Excuse me” Asami stood up and left the living room.

The room was quiet, except for the sound of the television. It felt empty too, because Akihito felt empty. He felt empty because he felt alone and he always felt this way around Asami. He felt the most happy, and yet he felt the most alone when he was with Asami, because Asami always distant himself from everyone, and at the same time, Asami would stay just close enough to make a person feel attached forever and Akihito didn’t like that. He wanted Asami to be close to him, and show him a side of him that no one has ever seen before. But if he wanted that to happen, he needed to grow up first and be seen on equal eye levels with Asami.

Asami was still chatting away in the other room, and from what Akihito could hear, the call wasn’t going to end anytime soon. Starring at the glass filled with bourbon, Akihito wondered what it tasted like. He knew alcohol brought out the inner beast in humans, but also knew alcohol brought out the distinguished image of men – if consumed in moderation. It was something for the pallets of adults, not children. Reaching out, Akihito grabbed the glass and sniffed it. There was a sweet aroma - warm caramel and toasted vanilla. It smelled good, almost like a drinkable dessert. Akihito swirled the glass and watched the liquid and ice dance in sync. The light reflecting off of the liquid gave the drink an alluring golden shimmer that made it irresistible. Closing his eyes, Akihito brought the edge of the glass to his lips and sipped. When a drop spread across his taste buds, Akihito cringed and threw the glass back on the table. He quickly grabbed a can of soda to dilute the taste. It was so bitter, so strong, so sweet…everything was just so concentrated. But…it wasn’t that bad, the after taste. Akihito tried to taste the flavors again in his breath. The enticing aromas were dancing in his mouth. Even though he had washed it all down, he could still taste it all. It tasted of smoke, charred oak…and also…cherry? Was there tobacco too? All this was within a single drop. Even though the initial taste was sickeningly sweet and harsh, the after taste was alluring, it was almost addicting. And the slight burn in his chest and stomach felt very comfortable.

Akihito wetted his lips and reached for the drink again. He took another sniff and enjoyed the sweetness of the aroma before he took a drink. This time, a bigger gulp and he took it all in one go – like a shot. The taste was painfully sweet, like cough medicine almost, but worse. Akihito managed through it. He felt a burning sensation going down towards his stomach. The burn was harsh but comfortable. So this was adulthood. This was what adults did, and he must admit, it wasn’t half bad. Aside from the awful taste at first, the sensations afterward were welcoming.

By the time Asami re-entered the room, Akihito had already finished the glass and his face was flushed red.

“Akihito…you…”

When Akihito saw Asami, he quickly put the empty glass back on the table.

“Did you drink it?” Asami asked as he picked up his glass to check that it indeed was emptied to the last drop.

Akihito gave him a shy nod. “I wanted to see what it tastes like. I wanted to taste what adults tasted…” he said softly.

“Akihito these drinks aren’t for you” Asami said as he put the alcohol away.

“Why?”

“Because you are still too young” Asami said and a frown graced Akihito’s face.

“No I’m not…” Akihito whispered so that Asami couldn’t hear him whine.

“When you are older I will teach you how to drink. But for now, stick with soda.” Asami said, handing Akihito a bottle of water. “Here, it’ll dilute the alcohol in your system.”

“I don’t want it!” Akihito cried out and slapped Asami’s hand away. “I’m handling the alcohol just fine see? Like an adult…”

Asami looked hard at the tipsy boy. “Akihito, why do you want to be an adult?”

“So I won’t be treated like a kid” came the simple answer.

“What’s so bad about being a child? You have the rest of your life to be an adult, why are you so rushed?”

“I hate being treated like a kid. No one ever takes me seriously.”

“Being an adult isn’t as great as you think Akihito, why are you so eager to jump into adulthood?”

“Because…I can’t do anything as a kid…I’m too small to do anything.”

“What makes you say that?”

“…My mother was taken away from me because I was too little to do anything. I was a child so I had no power to help her…I had no power so I ended up being bought and drugged…and if…if I had power you would treat me as an equal. You wouldn’t feel the need to hide and tiptoe around me…and and…and I wouldn’t have to live that shitty life I did before…and I would still have a mother...and…” Akihito rambled on, unaware he was repeating himself.

“So you desire power” Asami interrupted

“Yes, but not your kind of power. I want a power that is able to protect myself and those around me. And I can only get it if I’m an adult.”

Asami sighed. He understood the desire for power – any sort of power, and the frustration of not being able to obtain it. “And you think drinking alcohol will help you being an adult?”

Akihito looked away. “It’s what adults do…you do it…” he muttered.

“If you think that way, you will never become an adult” Asami said harshly as he sat back down on the couch.

Akihito felt a stab to his chest and he glared at Asami. “Then teach me. Teach me how to become an adult.”

Asami relaxed into the sofa and turned off the TV. “Such a thing is not something that can be taught. It is something that is achieved through observation and growth; through nature and nurture. If your body and mind is not ready yet, then what I teach you won’t help.”

Akihito stood up and a wave of dizziness fell upon him but he quickly regained his balance. He steadily approached Asami and without warning, straddled the man’s lap.

“Akihito…”

“Teach me…” Akihito slurred. “Teach me how do adult things…like how do adults...kiss…I want to know how.”

Asami narrowed his eyes and held Akihito at a certain distance away from him. The affection he had shown the boy is now back firing on him. Takaba Yayoi, whom he and his father took away by force from Akihito, was no longer a part of this world. The love and attention which Akihito was supposed to receive from Yayoi, Asami felt an obligation to give it to him. After all, he held a certain level of unacquainted love to Yayoi, and he had promised the woman, if he were to ever run into her son one day, he would care for him the best he can. But he had shown too much attention to the boy. He should have been a bit more distance; he should have followed through his promise with Yayoi from a distance. He should have cared for Akihito from afar. But Akihito’s determination, stubbornness, cheekiness, and cheeriness were so much like Yayoi’s that it consumed him and he couldn’t stay away. Yayoi had given him a type of warmth his mother and father had never gave him. It wasn’t love he had for the woman, it was admiration. And he held that feeling still.

But his admiration has poisoned Akihito’s young mind and misled him. Not to say he wasn’t attracted to the young boy himself. Not because Akihito resembled Yayoi’s character or the fact that he is her son. No, he was attracted to Akihito because of his strong will. A will so strong and a life so bright, that no matter how much darkness surrounds him, he is able to penetrate through it. And that is exactly what Asami desired – an existence that belonged solely to the light.

However, Akihito was still far too young. He was only fourteen. He’s had young boys before, but never this young.

Suddenly, warm lips pressed up against his unguarded ones and a small, wet tongue tried to slip inside his mouth. But he gently refused entry and pushed the boy back a little.

“Akihito, enough, do not do things you are ignorant to.”

Akihito frowned. “Then teach me so I’m not ignorant.”

“Akihito, when you have found yourself a lover, I will teach you, but now is not the time.”

“This is the time. There’s no one around, no one to stop us. If this isn’t the time, then I don’t know when is.”

“Akihito” Asami warned, but Akihito ignored him and went for his neck and gave it a soft kiss.

“A kiss on the neck opens up a lot of doors right? A girl at the brothel told me.”

“Akihito” Asami growled gently. He tried to push the boy off of him, but Akihito’s stance was firm. He didn’t want to shove the boy off; that sort of harsh rejection would tear Akihito’s attention-needing heart apart. But he needed this to stop before it goes any further, yet somewhere in his body, he couldn’t find the strength to end this little play.

“What else should I do?” Akihito pulled back and looked Asami right in the eyes. “What do you do when you kiss someone?”

Asami sighed. The boy wasn’t giving up was he…Asami looked into those eyes filled with stubborn will and gave in. He was weak against those eyes. “I would dominate the situation” he answered.

“How?”

“Never ask your partner if you can kiss them. Be confident.”

“What else?”

“I would use my hands too, to outline their body, or hold them firmly by the neck.”

“What else?”

“I would use the element of surprise. When my partner likes it soft, I would be more aggressive. Purposely doing the opposite of what your partner wants work well.”

“Show me?” Akihito requested and before Asami could respond, Akihito dove into his lips again. The boy nibbled and sucked on his lips gently while slipping his tongue ever so slightly into his mouth before pulling back. It was a shy attempt at kissing, but it felt good nonetheless, and the lingering scent of bourbon only enhanced his senses. “What else is there?” Akihito asked as he pulled away.

“Akihito, enough, go to bed, you are drunk and you are not thinking straight.” Asami said as he tried to get Akihito off of him, but Akihito wasn’t giving up without a fight.

Kissing Asami’s ear gently, Akihito went for the neck once more. The mouth, the ear, the neck…those were the best erogenous zones on a human body. Akihito had learnt of this when he was a boy. He knew Asami was the dominating, aggressive type, so he held himself back. Doing the opposite of what your partner expects was what Asami had said after all. He kept things light and soft, hoping to drive Asami crazy so his blood would boil with sexual lust.

Slowly, Akihito worked his way up to Asami’s ear, he could still feel Asami trying to push him away, but he held on. Softly taking an ear lobe into his mouth, he snacked on it lightly, keeping the little passion he has created alive.

“Is it good?” he asked next to Asami’s ear, and Akihito felt Asami’s body stiffen - he was holding back. Akihito slowly moved his knees between Asami’s legs and he felt a semi hard knob between them. He wanted Asami to know he too can be as mature as he can. He had learnt so many things on seduction, arousal, and techniques in the old days, but never had the chance to put them to use. Now was the best time to show off what he had learnt and prove his sexual maturity to the one man he was dying to gain acknowledgment and never ending attention from.

Crushing his lips into Asami’s again, this time, Akihito devoured it. He slipped his tongue in all the way and Asami allowed it. Akihito sucked on Asami’s tongue as if he was sucking the man’s hardened shaft. His attempt was clumsy, but he could feel Asami’s appreciation for it between the man’s legs. Just when he felt Asami’s resistance decreasing, Akihito pulled back and licked his upper and lower lips in a ticklish manner. He wanted to tease the older man. But he wanted more. He wanted to move beyond Asami’s mouth.  
Moving away from the mouth, Akihito gave Asami’s chin a small lick, and just before he reached the collarbone, Asami grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back.

“Enough Akihito” Asami growled dangerously.

The look on Asami’s face didn’t give away his arousal at all. In fact, the older man looked angry.

“W-what…?”

“Akihito, there are boundaries” Asami said in a hard tone.

Biting his bottom lip, Akihito looked at Asami with saddened eyes.

“Don’t give me that look” Asami warned. “Wash up and get into bed _now_. It’s late.”

He had been completely rejected – _from what though?_ Akihito felt his heart break and shatter in front of him. Tears of embarrassment pricked his eyes and anger raged within him as he jumped off of Asami’s lap and into the hallway bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

~~~~~

It was well pass one o’clock, but sleep eludes him still. He heard his door open and knew it was Asami, coming in to check on him. But he remained still until the older man left for his own room. He did cross a boundary, but he crossed it because there was something he wanted on the other side. Although he didn’t get what he wanted, he didn’t regret his actions.

Throughout the night, Akihito dreamt that he was in a wheat field by himself, and beyond him was nothing but grass. Once in a while, a shadow would appear out of nowhere, look at him, and then disappear.

He would often have dreams like this – where he was alone in a field, or a mountain, rural Japan and so on. It was unbelievably lonely. But this was just his fear.

He began running through the field. Akihito kept running and running, and suddenly, something caused him to fall. After minutes passed, he opened his eyes and saw the field withering away – slipping away from him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t taste, couldn’t feel, and couldn’t touch. He could only watch as every single form of life withered away from him – leaving him completely abandoned.

As the layers of green slowly peeled away, Akihito felt the world running away from him until he was in nothing but solitude. Finally, he felt. He felt something running down his cheeks. It was moist and warm and it felt so real. Was he crying in his dream or in reality? Akihito couldn’t tell. His body was heavy and dense. He couldn’t move at all, not even a finger. Even breathing started to become difficult.

With great difficulty, Akihito forced opened his eyes – his real eyes – and stared into nothing but blinding darkness. He tried to move his head back and forth but it wouldn’t move. All the muscles in his body were shut down. Akihito could feel the unseen night demons surrounding him; paralysing him.

This was sleep paralysis. Akihito remembered he had talked to the doctor about it and the doctor told him the cause was linked to deep underlying psychiatric problems. Does he have mental stress though? Akihito couldn’t tell anymore. All he knew right now was the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach and the tears of fear rolling down his cheeks. When his muscles finally caught up with his consciousness, he got out of bed, grabbed his pillow and left his room.

The door to Asami’s bedroom was closed. Akihito brought up his hand to knock but hesitated. What if the older man was still angry with his earlier actions? Akihito was sure Asami would tell him to grow a pair and go back to his own bed. But Akihito doesn’t want that right now. He wanted to feel human warmth, and human presence. He wanted to fall asleep in someone’s embrace, not his own embrace. Deciding against what he should do, Akihito slowly opened the door just enough so his small body could squeeze through and closed it quietly.

Asami was lying in his bed, lightly hugging a pillow and fast asleep. As softly as he could, Akihito tiptoed to the other side of the bed and as subtly as he can, he began to climb onto the large and high bed.

The bed was obviously made with the best materials money could buy, since not even a squeak sounded when Akihito shifted his weight onto it.

Akihito stopped and looked up to make sure Asami was still asleep before he proceeded further. Just as he was about to crawl towards Asami, Asami let out a deep sigh and he froze. “What is it Akihito.” He asked, eyes still closed as if he was still asleep.

“Umm…I…I…” Akihito stuttered.

Rolling over, Asami faced Akihito with a tired look on his face.

“C-can I sleep here tonight?” Akihito said softly.

“Akihito” Asami said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “It would be best for you to sleep in your own room.”

Akihito felt a jab. “I-I’m sorry about what I did before” he whispered. “I wasn’t thinking straight…because of the alcohol…”

Asami nodded. “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Kind of…can I please sleep with you tonight?” Akihito begged. Asami beckoned him forward with his fingers and Akihito eagerly crawled to his side and snuggled up against Asami’s bare chest.

“If you promise you won’t attack me anytime throughout the night, you can stay” Asami teased and Akihito shot him a glare. The man was making fun of him and he didn’t appreciate it. It was embarrassing, the rejection, and Akihito didn’t need to be reminded.

“I’m sorry ok? It was the alcohol’s fault” he pouted and Asami chuckled.

Asami’s chest and arms was strong and hard. It almost hurt to be embraced by it. But it offered him lasting solace. He was so afraid of losing the people he loved, he had to wonder, if any of them was afraid of losing him. He wanted to ask Asami, but he didn’t want to seem more insecure then he already did.

“So do you often slip into someone else’s bed at night?” Asami asked.

“Yeah, Isamu-san would allow me to sleep with him most of the time, and when he’s not around, Kujo stays with me in my room until I fall asleep. Sometimes, I would feel so cold in the middle of the night; it’s as if I was back on the streets, sleeping on the sidewalk again. Then I would wake up and go to Isamu and he would comfort me.”

Asami looked down at the boy snuggled up against him and rubbed his puffy red eyes. “You’ve been crying.”

Akihito remained silent. “It wasn’t a good dream” he replied simply.

He waited for a response, but got none. When Akihito looked up, Asami was breathing softly in his sleep. The older man must have been truly tired. Snuggling in deeper, Akihito sighed contently and closed his eyes.

He still wasn’t sure what he wanted but he knew that somewhere in his heart, he desired Asami. But as to what extent, he does not know yet. Does he cling onto Asami because of his loneliness and wants intimate contact to sooth his lonesome heart? Perhaps, but one thing was for sure, he had an abundant amount of time on his hand to figure it out and to obtain what he desires. He was no fool; he won’t give Asami everything and ask for nothing. Akihito knew how humans worked…more importantly, how a dominating man like Asami worked. What Asami is denied, he would go half mad to obtain, and what he gets freely, he would despise. Today, Akihito let him have a small sample, and he would continue to give Asami small slivers of his taste, until Asami finally desired him too. And when that time comes, he would push Asami away until the man craves no one else but him.


	13. Joining, Under Lunar Glow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable characters and ideas belongs to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: oc, ooc, au, unedited
> 
> A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems a little rushed and disorganized, but I needed a catalyse to move it all forward (and also because I promised a certain someone a double release :P)  
> Thanks for reading :)

**Chapter 12 Joining, Under Lunar Glow**

Akihito stared out the airport terminal window as another large bird began to land. He swung his feet back and forth as he watched with fascination, the airplane's carefully planned out landing procedures at work in bring itself to a gentle halt. It reminded him of a swan alighting on water.

Once the wheels of the plane hit the runway, it bounced once, then twice. Akihito wondered what the sensation would be like if he were inside the metal bird. It couldn't be more fun than the rides at Disneyland. But never less, after witnessing three takeoffs and two landings, he now wanted to go flying in an airplane. Even though the thought of flying in a thousand ton bird that manages to stay afloat in the air both amazed and frightened him, he was more curious than scared of the consequences. 

It was snowing outside. Akihito always dreaded the snow gently floating down to Earth before because he was homeless. But now, he can truly take the time to admire the flakes beauty as they slowly descend down from heaven.

There was a week until Christmas and he was excited for several reasons: the food, the presents, the festivities and one of the biggest was that he will finally be introduced to his new stepsister, Kaede whom he was waiting for in the airport right this moment. He had even handmade a greeting present for his new sibling.

Takeo couldn’t come with him due to a prior commitment so Asami drove him. The two of them being completely alone was no longer a novelty. Coming to a place like an airport, Akihito was sure Asami would have four or five bodyguards to protect him from possible terrorist attacks. But apparently according to Asami, he only has bodyguards around when he is at work or doing certain transactions. Other than that, Asami mostly moves independently which Akihito finds unfair. He has Kujo following him literally everywhere while Asami Ryuichi - whose life is probably worth billions – doesn’t need a babysitter to wipe his ass everywhere he goes.

The plane has been delayed twice so far and Akihito was getting bored and anxious with waiting. Asami was sitting beside him in the waiting lounge, flipping through some folders and binders. Akihito tried to sneak a peek but the older man blocked his view and chuckled, calling him a nosy brat.

“Why can’t I see what you’re doing?” Akihito said in an unhappy tone.

“Because it is confidential and not for the eyes of young children” Asami replied.

“Fine, then let’s talk, I’m bored and you’ve barely said a thing since we got here. It’s just work work work with you” Akihito complained.

Asami chuckled at his little “wife’s” nagging. “Alright, how are classes with Harashi?”

“Boring, and let’s talk about something more interesting.” It has been a while since he and Asami talked – several weeks. So Akihito was determined to catch up on the events he had missed. And there was one crucial question he wanted answers to.

“Like?” Asami asked.

“Like…are you still single Ryuu-nii? It’s been a month since I last saw you. Did you get a girlfriend or boyfriend yet?” Akihito asked as he looked up at the older man with anxious eyes. Asami had to bite back a laugh at the anxiousness in the boy’s eyes. Akihito always seems to have an interest in probing into his private life – and so persistently too – more specifically, his choices in partners. After the drinking fiasco back a month ago in his penthouse, the boy began to keep his distance from him. Asami knew the boy had a little crush on him, but he also knew Akihito was afraid he’ll lose his attention if he were to enter into a relationship. Just once, he would like to see Akihito’s reaction if he told him he had found a significant other.

“No, I’m not single currently” Asami lied.

Akihito’s eyes grew wide. Asami wasn’t sure if Akihito realizes how open his emotions show on his face, but never less, he enjoys the boy’s openness.

“With a woman? When did this happen? How come you never told me?” Akihito asked, not realizing he was sounding more upset then he would have liked, however, Asami was amused.

“I’m sorry Akihito, am I allowed to engage in a relationship? Asami asked in teasing seriousness but Akihito visibly retreated, realizing his sudden eagerness.

“Sorry…” he mumbled under his breath. “I just want to know.”

“What do you want to know?” Asami asked.

“You know, what she looks like, what is her name, how did you two meet, what are the two of you doing together…”

“She’s a beautiful Russian woman. Dark hair and blue eyes, very attractive” Asami began.

“I have dark hair and light colored eyes too! I just dye my hair blonde” Akihito blurted out without thinking and Asami chuckled.

“Are you saying you are attractive Akihito? That I should be attracted to you and not her?” Asami asked and Akihito shrunk back into his seat.

“No…I don’t know…” he pouted.

“Are you upset knowing I am taken? Asami asked but Akihito just remained silent, trying to neutralize the look on his face the best he can.

“Can I meet her?” Akihito asked in a quiet voice but looking defiant and Asami just chuckled.

“I’m joking Akihito” he admitted and Akihito’s jaw dropped open as he looked at the amused older man.

“What do you mean? So you’re still single?” Akihito asked, complete oblivious to how relieved he looked when the truth was spoken.

“With my work schedule and you bothering me every hour of the day, I simply don’t have time for the luxury” Asami teased and Akihito frowned. He wasn’t that much of a bother. But just as he was about to complain, the intercom interrupted, announcing the arrival of the delayed plane – the arrival of his step sister – his sister – a sibling, something he never thought he would have. Akihito's heart clenched and his palms were sweating profoundly. He was nervous even though he has no reason too. The people around him have told him nothing but nice stories of Takeo Kaede but those were just stories. The gap between stories and reality have always been huge. 

"I'm nervous" Akihito whispered to Asami as they began to head towards the pick-up area.

"Don't be" Asami said as he grabbed for Akihito's hand, fearing he might get lost in the crowd. 

"Do you think she'll like the bracelet I made her?" Akihito asked, holding up the colourful glass beaded bracelet.

"It's very nice, I'm sure she'll appreciate them." 

Akihito smiled and pocketed the jewelry. "I hope she thinks I’m smart. I studied the entire night so I wouldn’t sound stupid."

“I’ve told you Akihito, you have nothing to worry about” Asami said, patting his head.

“And don’t forget, you promised your entire evening to me and Kaede.”

"Yes, I remember. Kirishima is working overtime for you. Satisfied?"

Akihito nodded. "And don't forget your other promise" he whispered softly to himself, just barely audible but Asami caught it. 

"What other promise?" He asked. 

The pick-up area was pretty packed, so the two waited at the back as the passengers began to exit. 

"You know...next September..." Akihito muttered.

Asami shook his head. "I never promised Akihito." 

"What you said is close enough to a promise" Akihito argued back. 

"I said no such thing. And I do not agree to it."

Akihito's brows furrowed and his lips curled down into a frustrated frown. "Why not?" 

"My house, my rules. And my decision is final." Asami said coldly. 

Just as Akihito was about to argue back, he was interrupted once again when suddenly a cute black haired, big eyed girl ran up towards them with her luggage in tow.

"Akihito, this is Kaede" Asami introduced. “Kaede, this is..."

"Akihito!" Kaede cried out and ran towards him for a hug. "It's so nice to meet you! You have no idea how long I've waited for this day!"

Akihito was surprised as he allowed the stranger to embrace him. Kaede looked nothing like he had seen in photos and what he had imagined. He expected a tall, elegant woman with long straight hair, not a short sixteen year old looking girl with hair tied up in a messy bun. He expected a blazer and a pencil skirt, not a knitted floral dress with pom pom boots. He expected million dollar make up, and diamond jewelry, not a girl wearing one of those trendy big glasses frames with a hello kitty sticking out the sides. Bottom line, all the butterflies in his stomach fluttered away. He was so glad Kaede didn't look like an elite (even though she is one), but more like an everyday, regular citizen who is easy to interact with and can be seen anywhere on the streets of the world.

"N-nice to meet you too..." Akihito said shyly as he pulled the bracelet out of his pocket. "I made you a present."

Kaede squealed, put the bracelet on, thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. "Ryuichi, my bags are over there, go get them" she ordered. Akihito snickered at the tone Kaede used but he was even more surprised when Asami complied. 

With her arms wrapped around his, the two of them walked towards the parking lot with Asami behind them pushing the cart. 

Once they reached the car. Asami tossed the bags into the trunk and the three of them got into the car, with Akihito and Kaede in the back seat and Asami driving. 

"Kaede-neesan" Akihito said. "We're gonna sleep over at Asami-ojisan’s place today. He’s away in Cuba with Isamu-san so we have the whole entire mansion to ourselves. Ryu-nii is going to be with us too, he promised me he won't go in for work the rest of the evening."

"Awww, how sweet Ryuichi, you actually gave up a whole day for him. Getting soft old man?" 

Asami smirked. The two in the back seat couldn't see it but they felt it. "And how was America Kaede? You've put on another layer of make up since I last saw you” he joked.

Kaede kicked the back of the driver seat hard and Akihito snickered. Kaede was everything he had hoped for in a sister. He couldn’t ask for more. Akihito sighed contently as he snuggled into his sister’s hug. Perhaps he can get Kaede to back him up on this promise with Asami…  
"Hey Kaede, do you think I'm smart?" Akihito asked as the car began to pull out of the parking lot.

Kaede looked over at her new brother. "You're as smart as a button if you managed to make that stubborn cow give up a whole day for you." 

Akihito smiled. "Then do you think I have a chance of passing the Yamabuki high school exam in Shinjuku? All my friends are going to go there in September and I'm studying really hard right now and Harashi-sensei says that if I keep it up, I may have a shot." 

“Of course you can! High school entrance exams aren’t hard; I can give you my old exams. It's a breeze; you'll be able to get in no problem!"

"I know. But if I go to that school, I would have to live here in Tokyo. I would need to live with Ryu-nii but he doesn’t want me living with him. He said I should just stick to a school close to home.”

“I didn't say that Akihito" Asami interjected. "And you can't be left alone. I work late into the night; no one will be there to watch over you. It would be inconvenient." 

“I don’t need a babysitter! Your place is huge, so don’t be so stingy!” Akihito argued.

“Yeah, I’m sure he won’t be a bother. Plus, all his friends will be there” Kaede interjected.

“He will be able to make new friends” Asami replied and shot Kaede a look that shut her up immediately.

Kaede understood the silent message. There are many dangers in living with Asami Ryuichi, especially if the person living with him is an adopted child of the Takeo family who is unacknowledged by many outstanding members of society. If the two of them lived together, Asami’s home would immediately turn into a hot spot for assassins. Not to mention, people who work for Asami would often come over at night to discuss certain matters; matters that would be unsafe to discuss over the phone or in broad day light. If Akihito were to accidently listen in on these meetings, it could put the boy’s life at risk.

“Akihito” Kaede began gently. “It might not be convenient to stay with him. He might bring women…or men over at night and they can be loud. You won’t be able to sleep” she said, trying to convince Akihito.

“Then don’t bring women or men over at night” Akihito said bluntly. He didn’t want Asami to engage in a physical relationship with anyone. What if that physical relationship develops into something deeper? Then he would lose his chances. This was part of the reasons why he wanted to go to school in Tokyo.

Kaede snickered. “Akihito, he’s a man. It’s what he needs; you can’t take that away from him.”

“He doesn’t want me staying with him because he holds secret meetings in his apartment right?” Akihito guessed. “Don’t worry, when you have your top secret, illegal black market meetings, I’ll stay in my room okay? I promise I won’t come out.”

Asami sighed. Akihito was quite smart; it would be a mistake to underestimate the boy. If Akihito were to live with him from now on, it would be incredibly inconvenient. His home would no longer be a safe place to hold meetings, and he would no longer be able to bring anyone to bed with him. But was this Akihito’s plan? To cut off his carnal needs and starve him so that he would eventually look only at the young boy to satisfy his needs? If that was the case, Akihito is quite the master planner.

“How about this, if you can get ninety or above on your exam, I will let you stay with me” Asami offered.

Akihito narrowed his eyes, trying to detect any untruth in those words. “You won’t go back on your words?”

“No.”

Akihito smiled challengingly. “Then you better get a room ready for me.”

~~~~~

Every time Akihito step foot on the Asami family’s estate, he was clean amazed. The place was beautiful and he would get chills looking at the perfectly sculptured architecture. The servants have removed all traces of alcohol, and replaced it all the fridge and cabinets with juice and pop. Akihito felt this precaution was unnecessary, but apparently, the boundary he crossed last time was a big one.

The entire night was spent on listening to Kaede’s stories. Her stories on America, a completely foreign land to Akihito, were too big for him to handle. He didn’t even know Japan that well. His entire life, he was just trapped in a small part of the world. There was so much to see and explore and he wanted to see it.

By the time Kaede was finished, Akihito was already half asleep. He felt soft, feminine hands envelope his as they led him to an angelic-like bathroom. Sleepily, Akihito began to remove his clothes. When he was completely naked, he looked up and saw Kaede stripping down too.

“W-wha!” Akihito suddenly snapped awake and covered his eyes. “What are you doing?!”

“Awww” Kaede teased. “Are you shy?”

“Wait…are we gonna take one together!?”

“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with a sister and brother taking a bath together.”

“Yeah, but I’m not a child anymore! I’m a teenager…” Akihito said with a bright red face and his hands covering his privates. “I-I’ll take mine after you…”

“Don’t be silly, I’m not embarrassed. The water will be cold by the time I finish” Kaede said as she pulled Akihito into the large, soapy, tub. “Have you ever had a bubble bath before?”

Akihito nodded shyly, with his eyes averted elsewhere. Kaede was a little too free. Is this the way they did it in America? The two of them just met and they were already sharing a bath together. On paper they were brother and sister, but in actuality, they were still a woman, and a growing teenager. If he got a hard on, he would absolutely die.

“U-um…” Akihito began, trying to take the thought that her breasts were pressed up against his back out. “There’s something I’ve always wondered. Can you tell me just what makes our family, the Asami family, and all those other high standing families out there that make it so special and elite?” Akihito asked.

Kaede looked at his brother confusingly. “What do you mean?”

“Like, why is it so important for me to learn all those protocols, like bowing and kowtowing? Are we elite because in the past the families were aristocratic families? Do noble families even exist in this day and age?” 

“All the aristocratic clans of the past have already lost their nobility status. But descendants of former nobles like us remain proud of our blood and we keep archives for our genealogy. Aside from the royal family, regular Japanese live lives without much attention to aristocratic lineage. So even though we are all of noble descent, no one cares anymore. It is through fame, money, connections, looks, and power that former forgotten families of noble descent like ours are able to gain the attention and admiration we have now. So, simply stated, we are no different from an A-list celebrity. What makes our families so elite is we have members that are just meant to lead. Our families were born with the ability to command respect and authority, even without the credentials. Not because we are more capable than others, but because we are the ones who command the power. So to answer your question Akihito, no we are not elite or aristocratic because of our forgotten lineage; we are elite because of our power.”

“So it all comes down to power…”

“That’s right. Those who are able to bend the law are what society deems “elite.” After all, laws are nothing but human fabrications to control other humans. If you have power, you can overcome this control.”

“…I don’t get it…”

“Think of it this way. Laws are at the very top of the food chain. Often those who try to dominate the law, are eaten. But there are a few, very few, who are able to do it successfully, and that is why those people are set above everyone else and placed on an unsteady pedestaled.”

“So you’re saying it is the power, not the lineage.”

“Well, lineage makes it more impressive. It’s like a resume almost.” Kaede said as she started to scrub Akihito’s back. “But yeah, it’s mostly the power...and the looks…good looks got something to do with it too.”

“It sounds so stressful…”

“It is” Kaede said, finishing off with his back. “Akihito…is that a scar?” she asked, suddenly noticing the small mark on his back.

“Hm?” Akihito turned to look at what Kaede was referring to. “Yeah, Isamu said it’s a burn scar, but my mom said it’s a birth mark. But I’m starting to think it’s a burn scar…no idea how I got it though…ah that tickles!” Akihito giggled as Kaede’s finger gently glossed over the mark.

“Akihito…have you ever met any of Raiju-ojisan’s wives?”

Akihito shook his head.

“I don’t think any of them live here anymore…except for Asami Kasumi…” Kaede said.

Akihito turned to face Kaede. “I wanted to meet her! But Kujo dragged me away because she was living in restricted territory!”

Kaede knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop herself. “She is an incredibly lonely woman. I used to visit her from time to time, but now that I study abroad, I can no longer do that. I’m sure she would appreciate the company.”

“I thought no one was allowed over there.”

“It’s been years, nobody really bothers with the security in that area. She has insomnia from time to time, so I go there in the evenings when everyone is asleep and the guards are slacking off.”

“You’re telling me to sneak out and go keep her company?”

“Why not? All her children left her, she’s all alone. She would be so happy if she saw you.”

“Ok” Akihito agreed with a firm nod of the head almost immediately. “But what about Ryu-nii? Won’t he know?”

“He’s a workaholic so he usually he sleeps like a log late at night.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re awfully pushy on this subject. Why do you want me to go so bad?” Akihito asked, his curiosity now perked.

Kaede sighed. Her father had warned her Akihito was a precocious child. “Because she is like a mother to me, and every time I leave her, it breaks both her heart and mine” Kaede said as she hugged Akihito. “Since you’re here in Japan, and I’m mostly in America, I want you to look after her for me.”

Kaede felt this was something she had to do. She had heard her father’s reasoning, but she didn’t agree to it. It wasn’t right to keep Akihito in the dark, but it also wasn’t right to spring every last drop of truth onto Akihito unannounced. So for the time being, this was all she could do for the Akihito…no, for the two of them.

By the time the two of them got out of the bath and into bed, Asami was already sleeping soundly in the other room and Kaede immediately fell asleep upon hitting the bed. Only Akihito remained wide awake, thinking his step-sister’s words over and over again in his head. He always wanted to go see what Asami Kasumi looked like. He wanted to hear her story and get to know her. He was a nosy brat like Asami said, but he couldn’t stop his curiosity. Finally making up his mind, he pulled his sweater over his head and threw on his jeans; Akihito quietly got up and sneaked down to the main lobby. Kaede encouraged him to go see Asami Kasumi, but everyone else forbade it which Akihito found a little odd, even with Kaede’s story.

With his shoes in hand, Akihito carefully climbed out of the first floor’s window. The grassy field was dark, only the moonlight shone through, but Akihito knew where that house was located even without any light. It was almost like a magnetic pull that was leading him towards it. Putting on his shoes, Akihito sprinted towards the house at the far back of the estate. At night, the place looked even more lonesome then it ever did. There was no light and the tress surrounding it made it seem ominous and deadly. However, that only heightened Akihito’s desire to go over. He wanted to rescue the lady trapped in the darkness with his power.

The many times he had sneaked over to the house, the front door was always locked. He didn’t dare ring the doorbell or knock because he knew Kujo’s hawk like ears would immediately pick up on the sound and would come to drag him away.

He’ll have to climb through a window again. Locating the same tree he used the first time, Akihito began climbing. He was much more careful for the night was deadly silent and even a single snap of a branch would get the security roaming around the grounds over in a jiffy.

Peeking through the same window he peeked through the first time, Akihito reached out with his foot, latched his toes onto the ledge of the window and kicked upward, opening the window just wide enough for him to crawl in to what appears to be the kitchen. It was dark inside and ominous. Akihito almost wanted to back out, almost, but he felt he had to meet this confined woman.

There wasn’t a single light on in the house so Akihito had trouble navigating through but soon he heard soft snoring coming from a room down the corridor. Lightly poking his head inside, he saw a young woman, asleep on the sofa, and another woman, wrapped in a shawl, staring up at the moon. This scene inside the room was like a painting – poetic almost. Akihito could practically hear his scholar of a teacher composing or reciting a poem if he saw this scenery – Along in her beauty – was the title that came into Akihito’s head.

The moon’s gentle lunar gleam cascaded down her body, softening her face and accenting her soft auburn eyes. Her hair was black, but bathing in the moon’s glow, it sparkled like diamonds. Akihito could tell she wasn’t too young, perhaps child birth had worn her out, however, there as a certain elegance to the woman and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He felt attracted, he almost wanted to run into her arms and hug her – as if she was his mother.

“Mom…” he whispered without thinking but quickly slapped his hands over his mouth when the word left his tongue, but it was too late. The woman snapped her head towards the entrance, her two benevolent eyes directed on him.

“Who’s there?” she said. The younger woman sleeping on the sofa awoke, supporting bed hair and drool on the corner of her mouth.

“Mistress…wha…” she called out, still half asleep.

Shit. He blew his own cover. This wasn’t how he wanted to introduce himself, but he can’t turn back now. Stepping out of the shadow, Akihito stood up straight and showed himself. “H-Hi…I’m Akihito…nice to meet you…? I’m so sorry for disturbing you so late at night.” he introduced nervously.

The woman visibly relaxed when she saw it was just a young boy. “What are you doing here…Akihito?” her voice still tense.

“I-I wanted to meet you, for a long time now in fact…and this was the only opportunity I could find…to meet with you.”

“Meet me? Dear boy, no one is allowed in here without this family head’s permission. Did you receive permission?”

Akihito shyly shook his head.

“Then it would be best for you to leave right now. If you get caught, the consequences for disobedience would be severe” the woman said. She stood up from her spot and walked over to Akihito.

“I’m not afraid!” Akihito said bravely. “I wanted to meet you, since the first time I came here.”

“You wanted to meet me? Why?” the woman asked.

“I don’t know why…I just felt like I needed to meet you. Maybe it’s because I understand what it’s like to be completely isolated. It’s a dreadful feeling” Akihito explained. “And I want to talk to you…I don’t really have a good reason, but I just felt like I had to meet you. It’s like; there are voices in my head telling me I had to come here sometime.”

The woman sighed. “You’re instincts and curiosity brought you here. Very well, turn on the lights then and let’s satisfy your childish curiosity.”

Akihito, flipping on the light switch, wasn’t happy with his curiosity being described as childish, but this time, even he had to agree with the lady. His attempts especially, were childish this time – climbing through windows and all.

“Nagi, go to the kitchen and prepare some snacks” the woman requested and the younger woman stood up, rubbing her eyes. “What do you like to eat Akihito?”

“Anything is fine…”

The woman nodded. “Please prepare some tea and the mochi Isamu-san brought over the other day.”

Akihito’s ears perked up. “Isamu-san came here?”

The woman shifted her attention back towards Akihito. “…Yes, he visits me from time to time. A very nice man” she commented. “You know of him I see. So Akihito, what I can I answer for you?”

“Umm…nothing much. I just wanted to see what kind of a person you were and exactly why I felt a need to come here…” Akihito mumbled. “So you’re called Asami Kasumi-san? Raiju-ojisan’s second wife right?”

Kasumi nodded. “That is correct, and who are you exactly?”

Akihito snapped his head up and looked straight into Kasumi’s eyes. This was odd, if Isamu would often come visit her, then why does she not realize who he is? Did Isamu never tell her? Or she just doesn’t know what he looked like because she was inside all the time. Akihito had to wonder if he should keep his identity a secret, but what was the point. If he had plans to come back later, there wasn’t a need to keep secrets. “Well…my name is Takaba Akihito…”

“Takaba? I’m afraid I’ve never heard that name before. What is your relationship with Raiju and Isamu?”

“Well…my name now is…Takeo Akihito. I was adopted by Isamu-san a year ago so I am technically, Isamu-san’s son.”

Kasumi was shocked at the news, but she did well to hide it. “I see. This is certainly a surprise, for Isamu-san to adopt random children.”

“Yeah I know. It’s causing a lot of problems with many people. They don’t acknowledge me at all, but I don’t care as long as Isamu-san recognizes me.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Akihito could see the tiredness and sadness on the woman’s face. “So…why are you locked up here? I was told because you committed adultery…”

Kasumi looked at him hard and Akihito knew he had stepped into uncharted territory. “Sorry sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up such a sensitive topic. I wasn’t thinking!” he apologized.

“It’s true” she sighed. “After Raiju’s eyes started to wander, mine too, started to wander.”

“I really suck doesn’t it, that men expect women to be faithful while they themselves can have as many lovers as they like.”

“Yes it is, but it is nature’s ways. The world is a very peculiar place and nothing is off limits. ”

Akihito nodded in agreement. “I’ve definitely experienced some bizarre things in my life.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Before Isamu-san saved me, I was sold off as a sex slave. My owner got me hooked on drugs and I ended up wandering the streets for god know how long…” Akihito explained.

“You poor child, to have experienced something no one should ever experience” she comforted as she cupped Akihito’s cheek.

“It’s all over now though, I’m saved now.”

Just before Kasumi was going to say something, Nagi returned with a tray of snacks and tea. “Here you are…Akihito-kun?”

Akihito nodded.

“We have mochi, tea cakes, apples, and pomegranates.”

Akihito thanked Nagi and helped himself to the sweets and green tea. The three of them ate in silence and the whole time, Akihito shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to ask more details of Kasumi’s life but felt it was inappropriate since this was their first meeting and he snuck in and disturbed their rest.

Just as he finished off his fruits, his cell phone beeped. It was Kaede. [Ryuichi is awake, where are you?] The text read.

“Ummm…I have to go now or I’m going to get into trouble” Akihito informed as he quickly got up and readied to leave. “I’m hope I can come back again.”

“As long as you don’t get anyone into trouble, I don’t see a problem” Kasumi smiled softly. “Nagi, show him out please.”

The young maid quickly got up and escorted Akihito downstairs to the main lobby.

“There’s a small path that’s hidden to the right there” she pointed out. “If you take that path, The trees and bushes will be able to hide you. You should be able to make it back to the main house no problem.”

“Thank you!” Akihito said and began to run.

~~~~~

“That was really nice wasn’t it…?” Nagi spoke as she cleaned up the food. “To have such a cute late night visitor.”

Kasumi had returned to her previous position, staring out the window, expect this time, she wasn’t looking up at the sky, she was looking at the main house where Akihito was. “Yes, it was unexpected. Did you know Isamu-san adopted that child?”

“I’ve heard some rumours…are they true then?”

“Yes, the boy said it himself.”

“Well that’s nice of him to help out an orphan.”

“It’s strange. There are so much complications and conflicts with adopting a random child off the street. Isamu isn’t the type of man who would help people because of a whim. He does it because it relates to him somehow, or it benefits him somehow.”

“Isamu-san is a very nice man. I can see him adopting kids just to give them a home.”

Kasumi shook her head. “No, definitely not. That’s the mistake everyone makes. Just because Isamu _appears_ to be magnanimous, doesn’t mean he is. Isamu would have no trouble using children to get what he wants. So what I want to know is…why does he have that child? What is he plotting…?”

“Maybe it’s because Akihito-kun has your eyes” Nagi suggested, giggling, unaware of the sudden cold shiver that passed through her mistress’s body. “Isamu-san always loved your eyes. He comments on it every time he’s here.”

“That boy’s eyes…look like mine…?”

“Yes, exactly like yours. They’re big, bright, and round. His eyes are a shade lighter. But other than that, exactly like yours” Nagi shared her observation as she prepared the bed for her mistress.

“He has…my eyes…”


	14. First Naïve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: all recognizable ideas and characters belong to Yamane Ayano
> 
> Warning: unedited, oc, ooc, au
> 
> A/N: again, sorry for the long haitus, it’s winter, gotta hibernate you know ^^” thanks for reading! *goes back hibernating

**

Chapter 13 First Naïve

**

“The weather is beautiful today. We chose a good day to come out.” Isamu commented as he stared out into the blue, crisp winter skies through the train window. “No wonder Akihito always wants to play outside.”

“It’s not playing. I don’t play anymore. I’m almost fifteen years old…” Akihito replied sharply.

“The countryside’s air truly brightens a person’s spirits. So what’s gotten you in such a bad mood Akihito?” Isamu asked.

“Nothing…” the boy said bitterly while sneaking glances at the train cart behind theirs.

“What do you see over there Akihito?” Isamu asked as he tried to get a peek at what was causing his little troublemaker to pout so excessively ever since they left for the station early in the morning.

Smiling knowingly, Kaede snickered at her fuming step-brother. “It’s nothing father, it’s just that there is a little bee in the dumps of misery who is eager to fly out to sting people.”

“Humph! Who said I was miserable?” Akihito spat.

“Did I say it was you?” Kaede asked playfully and Akihito glared at her and stuck his tongue out her way, making his sibling giggle while their guardian just looked at both questioningly.

Early today:

“Hey!! Are you awake yet?! We have to go now!” Akihito shouted as he rang Asami’s doorbell repeatedly. “If you don’t hurry, we’re never going to get there!”

They were going to a ski resort in the Niigata prefecture this winter break; just him, Kaede, Isamu (supervisor), and Asami Ryuuichi. It was hard convincing the older man, but he managed. For a whole week, they were going to be together, alone, and Akihito was ecstatic. This was his chance to deepen the relationship between the two of them. He has been trying and trying to get Asami to notice his desires but the older man seemed incapable of picking up the hints he kept dropping. Like last week, he went on and on in a text how great the new Rurouni Kenshin movie was, and telling the older man he should watch it. When Asami finally replied, “I’ll consider it,” Akihito pounced. He dropped hints after hints that he wanted to meet up with the man – maybe to watch the movie together…or anything together – but the blockhead gave him nothing he could use and it drove him crazy. With the two of them living in different cities, they rarely meet up, and when they do, he gets overly excited and becomes a little clingy. Asami had probably grown tired of his desperation, but Akihito didn’t care. The man was within his sight and he wasn’t about to let him escape. This week, this whole week, he was going to make sure he makes himself clear. No more games. He was going to get what he wants from the man. However, when the door to Asami’s home swung open, his happiness and determination was smacked right off of his face.

Standing behind Asami was a woman. Not any woman, a beautiful (of course), mature (obviously), sophisticated (naturally), and classy (needless to say) looking woman with her mink coat and a large bag in her hands.

Akihito furrowed his brows. “Who’s she?” he blurted out sourly, completely unaware of the unpleasantry in his tone.

“Ah! You must be Akihito-san” the woman chuckled as she extended her hand out to greet him. Akihito blushed at his behavior and shook the hand stretched towards him.

“I’m sorry…” he muttered. “And who might you be?”

“I am Naomi, an old friend of Ryuuichi’s” she introduced and Akihito felt his emotions spark when Asami’s first name slipped out from between her lips so easily. Aside from his guardian, his step-sister, Asami's father, and him, he knows no other who dares to address Asami as Ryuuichi.

“It’s been nearly ten years since the two of us last met so I thought I’d drop by this morning to pay him a visit. I had no idea he was due for a family outing until I got here” she explained but Akihito just stared at the woman.

“It’s rude to drop by unannounced” Akihito, displeased, pointed out the flaw this perfectly brought up pedigree of a woman made, which caused Asami, who was observing the interaction with a smug grin on his face up until now, to finally join in.

“You’re really one to talk Akihito. How many times have you come over unannounced?”

Akihito shot the older man a glare and hissed. “That’s different…” he mumbled and turned towards the elevator. “Hurry up or we’re going to miss the train!”

“Thank you again for allowing me to come along on your trip Ryuuichi. It must be terribly inconvenient.”

“Not at all” Asami replied as he reached down to help her with her bag.

Spinning around all too fast, “What? What do you mean thanks for allowing you to come?” Akihito asked.

“I’m sorry to be a bother Akihito-san. My schedule and Ryuuichi’s don’t match. This week is the only time we can meet. I do hope you will allow me to come along.” Naomi asked, followed by a small bow of her head.

Akihito didn’t mean to offend anyone, but he was surprised and upset that Asami would invite an outsider without consulting him, or even consulting their chaperone. This could ruin his whole scheme but when the woman asked him like that, especially after his little out bursts, how could he say no. “It’s no problem…I’m sorry for being so rude…” he mumbled.

When they arrived at the train station and Isamu was out of hearing range, Akihito immediately turned to Kaede when they were left alone. “Who is that woman?” he asked.

“Who?” Kaede looked up from her magazine.

“That Naomi.”

Smiling, Kaede patted his head and resumed reading. “She’s an old classmate of his back in high school. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“No way is she just a classmate! She appears to be on such intimate terms with him. What is her relation to him? Tell me…” Akihito pleaded.

Sighing, Kaede turned towards Akihito. “Why are you so eager to know Akihito?”

Akihto shrugged. “…Why not?”

Staring hard at Akihito, Kaede gave in. “She was…the first object of his affections…the first woman he embraced.” And from then on, the rest of the trip to Niigata, Akihito was bitter, sour and snippy. His guardian scolded him on his attitude which made Akihito more temperamental. When his mood didn’t improve, Isamu just sighed and leaned back, muttering something about teenagers and their rebellious attitudes.

By the time they arrived at their destination, Asami was still chatting with the woman. The train ride was three and a half hours long, what could possibly be so interesting that could keep the two chatting all this time? Unable to stand it anymore, Akihito approached them with Kaede following behind. He wanted to know what kept Asami so engaged for such a long time. Usually when it’s just the two of them, Asami rarely talks so whatever spell that woman casted to turn that man into such a chatterbox, Akihito wanted to learn it.  
When he stopped in front of them, Asami stopped talking and turned his attention towards him. “I heard you were cranky all trip long? Is it because of Naomi?”

“I wasn’t cranky. My mood just isn’t good today and she’s got nothing to do with that.” He lied.

“Well I’ve got some good news that might cheer you up Akihito. Naomi will be heading home now. The whole entire week will be the four of us, just as you’ve planned.” He said.

“Humph, why send her away so fast? You seemed so happy, chatting and laughing together. It’ll relieve boredom on the train ride home too. You might as well ask her to stay here for the week” Akihito suggested, but anyone can see just how hollow that offer was.  
“Well with your consent Akihito-san. I would be happy to stay. Would that be all right Ryuuichi?” Naomi asked.

“If Akihito’s all right with it, I don’t see why not.” Asami replied while looking into the woman’s eyes in a pretentious, loving manner, but Akihito didn’t see it.

“Humph!” Akihito huffed angrily and stomped away.

“Why are you doing this Ryuuichi?” Kaede stepped in. “You too Naomi, why are you helping him. The poor boy looked like so upset the whole trip here. If the two of you aren’t serious about one another then drop the act already. There’s a limit to your teasing.”

“I apologize Kaede-san. He has such innocent reactions I just couldn’t help myself. He’s just like Ryuuichi described him - irresistibly cute” Naomi chuckled lightly. “Anyway, do not worry, I won’t be staying. I have a plane to catch in a few hours. I have to head up to Hokkaido tomorrow for a conference meeting.”

“Ahh…I didn’t mean to be rude Naomi-san…It’s just that Ryuuichi can be so immature at times…”

“No worries, you care for your brother, as you should” Naomi bowed and left for the taxi waiting for her at the entrance.

When Naomi was finally out of sight, Kaede turned and glared at Asami. “You are such a child. Akihito was so excited when we arrived at your place this morning and you had to do this to him. You should have seen his face when father told him to go get you. What you did was cruel.” But Asami just chuckled in response. “You clearly know how he feels about you and you played with his little heart.” Kaede finished and his expression grew grim when Kaede spoke those words.

“What do you mean, how he feels about me?”

“You know exactly what I mean but what about you? How do you feel about him?”

“Nothing. He is just a child who is confused with what he is feeling.”

“Are you sure? I see that Akihito is constantly trying to push your buttons, urging you to lose control over your urges. It seems to me the boy knows what he wants very clearly.”

“Do you hear what you say? Think it through thoroughly.” Asami said as he turned his back towards Kaede and made for the station entrance. “Are you really okay with the thought of a fourteen year old in someone else’s bed?”

“Of course I’m not okay with that. And why does it have to end in the bedroom? Why not a proper relationship?”

“Proper relationships involve the bedroom.”

“Akihito wants to get closer to you, he wants to be more involved with you, and he wants you to interact with him more. Why can’t you just go along with it and play the relationship game with him?”

“Because I am not a child. I don’t change girlfriends or boyfriends every other week. Children Akihito’s age form these types of relationships for fun. There are no structures to their intentions.” Asami pointed out.

“Well then why can’t you just play along until he gets bored? Kids get bored fast. Can’t you just fascinate him for a little while? Humour him until he gets his full?”

“I don’t have the time to “play.” I expect my partners to bring something beneficial when they come to me, and Akihito has nothing to offer.”

“A business man to the core…” Kaede shook her head. “So the only way you will view Akihito the same way he views you, is if he agrees to satisfy you carnally…?”

“I don’t play house. And Akihito is confused, no more than that.” Asami simply replied.

“Does Akihito seem confused to you. From my point of view, that kid knows what he wants and he wants it bad. Akihito is getting to be more erratic; he’s becoming more temperamental too...Adolescence is more stressful than other developmental periods. The struggle for identity is most intense during this period and we need to make sure Akihito is able to work out a stable concept of himself as a unique individual and embrace an ideology and set of values that provides him with a clear sense of direction.”

“Get to your point.” Asami demanded.

Asami was a man who always went straight for the point. All the years she’s known him, she has never heard Asami tell a lie. The man will simply not speak or avoid answering the question. And if he does have something to say, he goes straight to the point in very little words. People say Asami is an attractive man, and the answer to why that is often lays in his looks, his power, and his money. But that was just the surface. What makes Asami Ryuuichi so infinitely attractive is that he is a self-made man – as much as one can be. His parents never encouraged or supported him. They just told him to do as he sees fit because they didn’t care how he would end up. And so he would over achieve, but he didn’t over achieve to prove his worth to his parents or the people around him, he did it for himself, and this was very attractive. Kaede was sure Akihito saw it too, Asami Ryuuichi’s unshakable will, and possibly, what attracts Asami to Akihito is also that boy’s solid spirit. Both were strong – one an already made man and one emerging into manhood – both are self-made and unyielding, and in a man, nothing was more attractive than that.

“How _you_ act around Akihito is imperative. He looks up to you. He admires you. You can’t go around teasing him like that, and you can’t say his _feelings_ are a _mistake_. It will give him the wrong idea, and this will tamper with his growth. You are a conscientious individual; you should be a better role model. Don’t keep your distance; let Akihito see just what a diligent, disciplined, well organized, functional and dependable man should be like so he can become one too. Of all the men I know, you are by far the best example, even better than our womanizing fathers who are incapable of fidelity. So don’t be so stubborn. The poor kid is trying so hard. It’s so sweet and pitiful at the same time and you ignore his efforts.”

“I think you are misunderstanding something here. Akihito is a child who is in the midst of developing both mentally and physically. Unlike us who can differentiate and focus on several different aspects at once, he can’t. You say he holds desire for me, but is this desire the same as desire two adults possess for each other? A sexual attraction? Currently, his attention is locked to only a single attribute. He can’t differentiate the _different types of intimacy_ around him. He is just a child who needs to be protected in my eyes. I have no other feelings beyond that” Asami stated firmly.

“Akihito doesn’t need to be _protected_. He’s not an injured little bird. His legs are strong enough to take him anywhere he wants. He’s a tough boy. So you better get a move on before he runs too far from your reach.” Kaede said. When Asami did not speak, she continued. “Even if you are convinced that Akihito is confused about his own feelings, you still shouldn’t act so distantly when he is around. It hurts him…”

“All that boy wants is attention because it is something he has never experienced before. His attraction towards me is none other than that. He just doesn’t realize it and he is confusing it with sexual attraction. He has been alone his whole life, but now it is different for him. Now that he has had a taste of human interaction, he is constantly looking for comfort in other individuals instead of just himself. Anyone who shows the current him even a little bit of kindness, he will become attracted to them. I am willing to be his consultant, I am willing to help him, but I refuse to play or pretend with him until he gets bored; _that_ would be misleading. Besides, he is still too young to form a relationship with another human being. He needs to understand that in relationships, neglect is an element. He needs to understand he can no longer be a singular existence – he can no longer be the center of everything. And at his age, he cannot be neglected, especially with a past like his. He needs to be in the center, he needs things to all be concentrated onto him and he is allowed to be a little egocentric – all in moderation of course. And until he has receives enough of these sorts of nourishment for him to move into adulthood and for him to understand what adulthood comprises, he should not enter into a relationship with someone a whole generation older than him.” Stopping and looking directly at Kaede, “And he _should not_ be pushed into one either” he spoke with emphasis.

Kaede narrowed her eyes at the man. “Fine, even if what you say is true, you still can’t say to him that his emotions are misled. You gave quite the coloful soliloquy. I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much. You shouldn't waste your breath, so how about you put what you have said into action. Go and guide him onto the right path so he can distinguish the differences. Go talk to him, he’s over by the food stand.”

Letting out a short breath, Asami turned and walked toward the snack stand Akihito went to. Perhaps he did go a little too far with the teasing. But it was true that he does not possess any feelings – sexual or romantic – towards Akihito. What he felt for the boy was cherish. He wanted to protect Akihito, he wanted to make sure he was safe and will always be. But like Kaede said, Akihito does not need to be protected. He wasn’t some weakling.

Asami suddenly stopped in his track. Since when did a single boy ignite so much feeling in him? This feeling of cherish was cherish like he’s never cherished before. The boy, whom, under such cruel and harsh situations, managed to grow up to into such a strong willed and vibrant young man, untouched by the wind, the rain, the hail, the snow…The kid was so filled with life and he like that – he liked that bright, stubborn determination in the boy’s eyes; this part of Akihito is so valuable and needs to be preserved. He was afraid if Akihito got too close to him and saw just what his world contained, he would taint Akihito with his darkness, and this treasure will disappear. Perhaps this was why he wanted to keep a distance. Akihito wasn’t afraid of pain, of hardship, of punishments, the boy was just afraid of not being happy, and he wasn’t sure if he can give that to him. His sentiments for Akihito were hard to explain. It is so blurry that it is like explaining the color green to a blind person.

“Are you still moping?” He asked when he reached Akihito, who was snacking on a bag of wasabi peas.

Sneaking a quick glance at the older man, Akihito then looked back down at his snack. “How strange, who said I was moping?”

“Ho? Then what are you doing all the way over here by yourself?”

“I’m enjoying Niigata’s scenery.”

Asami smirked “Niigata’s train station?” he asked.

Akihito blushed and shot a glare at the older man. “I like to watch people pass by. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all” Asami said. “Now come, everyone is waiting for us.”

“Then why are you here wasting your time with me? Aren’t I delaying your return to Naomi? You don’t need to bother with me. Just go, go back to her already. It’s rude to keep her waiting.”

Chuckling, Asami reached out to touch Akihito, but the boy slapped his hand away. Asami would have been angry but for some reason, he felt a little happy at the reaction. “If you keep acting like, I will take it that you are jealous?”

Stomping down his foot, Akihito stood and glared straight into his eyes. “Humph, go ahead and dream your big daydreams!” He shouted and threw his wasabi peas at him. “You think you’re so high up that everyone will chase after you begging and crying?! You belittle me too much. Let me tell you something. You mean absolutely nothing to me!”

Brushing the pieces of snack off of his suit, Asami’s expression lost its humour. “Akihito.” Asami growled. “We are in public. Mind your behavior.”

“Go away! Leave me alone! Don’t tell me what to do!”

“ _Enough_. We’re going right now and I will deal with you when we get to the hotel.”

Though sucking in a deep breath and maintaining his stance helped a little, Akihito still found his courage slipping away from him when faced with the man head on. “You can’t tell me what to do!”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Asami warned.

“You can’t tell me what to do…” Akihito repeated his voice a little quieter than before.

“Akihito.”

The cold, icy glare promising punishments of all sorts broke his courage and Akihito found himself dominated and reluctantly obeying. Clenching his fist, he stomped past Asami and walked towards the entrance of the station with his eyes glued to the floor.

Isamu and Kaede were already gone, leaving them alone. This was no doubt Kaede’s idea to give them a little privacy. She didn’t even take into consideration the wild flux of a teenagers hormones and their imperviousness to reason. But Asami, for the life of him, couldn’t understand why Kaede was so determine to push the two of them together.

When a second car finally arrived, the two got in and Akihito scooched to the very end of the car seat and curled up into a ball while Asami sat at the other end, calm and collective as always.

“It’s not fair!” Akihito cried out when the silence became unbearable.

Asami looked over at the boy hugging his knees at the far side of the car.

“How come it’s okay when you do something, but when I do it, I get in trouble?” Akihito said.

“That’s because I don’t throw unreasonable temperaments in public when I don’t get my way” Asami pointed out.

“…..It’s your fault, not mine…..”

The rest of the trip went on in silence. When they finally reached the hotel, Kaede walked up to them excitedly but Akihito just ran pass her without a word. “…A-Akihito…?”

“Don’t mind him” Asami said as he got out of the car.

“What happened? You seem pissed off…Akihito looks like he’s about to cry…what did you say to him?”

“He’s just throwing a fit, nothing to be concerned about.”

“You are such a blockhead you know that? Fine, I’ll go talk to him.” Kaede said and went after Akihito into the building.

“Akihito?” She called out when she entered their shared suite. When she heard nothing, she went to the bedroom and saw Akihito hiding under the covers on the bed. Smiling, she walked over and nudged the bulge on the bed. “Akihitooo, wanna talk?” she cooed.

“Go away!” he cried.

“What happened? How did it turn into such a big fight? Naomi already left. She won’t be staying with us at all.”

“Stop trying to control things!” Akihito shouted and threw the blankets off. “Why did you send her away? What gives you the authority to do that?”

Sighing, Kaede sat down on the bed. “I didn’t send her away. She left on her own. You know, your jealousy is making you really unreasonable” she pointed out.

“Why does everyone say I’m jealous!?” Akihito shouted at his sister. “I’m not jealous. I just hate that person, that’s all!”

“Naomi already left, what’s there to hate? She’s a very busy woman and so is Ryuuichi. I doubt the two will have time to see each other again. So don’t let her ruin your mood, Okay?”

“I don’t mean Naomi…I despise that person. That arrogant, conceited Asami Ryuuichi!”

“You despise _him_?” Kaede asked, surprised. “He’s always taking such good care of you. He’s so thoughtful and considerate when you’re around, which he never is, trust me. And I always see him trying to protect you and keep you out of harm’s way. When you are dissatisfied or dejected with something, he’s always willing to try anything to make you happy and you say you despise him?”

Akihito didn’t say anything as he listened. He was angry at Asami, but now he was angry at Kaede for not taking his side.

“I think you’re being a little too ungrateful here Akihito. No wonder he looked so angry when he got out of the car.”

“How is he angry?” Akihito shouted. “He looked like he loved every second of it! Laughing and smiling with that Naomi all the way here.”

Kaede laughed lightly. “You still say you’re not jealous? You clearly are jealous. The more jealous you are, the more it means that you like him.”

“W-what are you talking about? I don’t like him…we’re both guys, how is that possible…” Akihito stuttered.

“It’s so obvious you like Ryuuichi. Every time the two of you meet, your face turns bright red and you follow him everywhere he goes like a little chick. Anyone can see it. No need to hide it.” Kaede smirked slyly.

“Well you’re mistaken I don’t like him at all! Liking him will bring me nothing but misery. He probably has men and women coming over every night. If I end up liking him, I’ll just be one of them!”

“That’s not true Akihito. Asami Ryuichi isn’t that kind of a man. Trust me.”

“…whatever…” he mumbled.

“Heh, you’re so cute Akihito. I know how hard you have tried to get his attention and you’re becoming frustrated because he hasn’t taken action right? Ahh…when a person falls in love, they will become very strange. They become unable to analyse and judge using their logic.”

“I’m not in love” Akihito said forcefully.

“Please, you’re like a love sick puppy” Kaede teased. Having heard enough, Akihito jumped off the bed and stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

By dinner time, Akihito finally came out of the suite and went down to the hotel restaurant to join up with everyone else wearing a grim face.

“Akihito, so good of you to finally join us” Isamu said when Akihito walked into their reserved dining room. “Come, eat with us.”

Looking over at Asami, the man had already started eating, and did not even glance his way when he entered. “…I’m not very hungry…” Akihito mumbled.

“What are you talking about? You barely ate anything this morning and you shut yourself in your room all afternoon. How can you not be hungry? Eat.” Isamu gestured to the empty seat beside him before reaching for the fish.

Standing up from her seat, Kaede took Akihito’s arm and guided him to sit beside Asami. The boy was reluctant and tried to take another empty seat away from Asami, but gently, he was forced to sit down beside the man by Kaede.

“Akihito, you don’t look so good. Are you ill?” Isamu asked.

“…I’m fine…” Akihito responded. He looked down at the food laid out in front of him – all his favorites – but none looked appetizing. Picking up his chopsticks, he began to play with his rice.

“It’ll be pretty tragic if you die of hunger over your anger Akihito.” Kaede asked. “Hurry and eat.” But Akihito just continued to play with his food – bring the rice up to his lips, then letting the grain drop down into his bowl.

Looking at the gloomy boy, Asami sighed and picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in his bowl. “Eat. It will make you feel better. We ordered sushi for you” he said as he dropped a picked out some of his favorites, but Akihito immediately picked them out and threw them back.

“Akihito!” Kaede scold. “You’re too much!”

“What’s going on with you kids today?” Isamu demanded.

“Nothing much” Kaede sighed. “Ryuuichi’s joke touched a sore spot and now the two are fighting like children.”

Abruptly standing up, Akihito put down his food and walked to the door. “Isamu-san, I don’t feel well, I feel dizzy. I don’t think I can eat anything. I’m going back to my room to rest. Excuse me.”

“Ryuuichi” Kaede said after Akihito left the room. “Aren’t you going to go clear this up?”

Sighing, Asami put down his bowl and chopsticks and excused himself from the table.

“….So” Isamu started when it was just him and his daughter in the room. “Want to tell me why those two are ruining the whole atmosphere?” he asked as he reached for more food.

“Father. If Akihito told you he liked Ryuuichi. What would you do?”

Looking over at his daughter questioningly “If Akihito likes Ryuuichi? Doesn’t he already like him? He goes to see him every chance he gets.”

“Not that way. What if his feelings for Ryuuichi were stronger than those between brothers or friends? What if it was something more?”

“Are you saying Akihito is in love with him?”

“Yes, it’s painfully obvious.”

Nodding, Isamu smiled. “You know, kids his age like the idea of being in love…or they just want to test out the world of the adults. What he feels for Ryuuichi might not be love like what you and I would feel.”

“That might be true right now, but what if, in the future, he is certain of his feelings?”

“Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. He’s always tailing behind Ryuuichi like a little puppy. It’s true that these feelings he has right now might blossom into something more definite. Akihito’s good relationship with Ryuuichi is his good fortune. If he were to get closer to someone, than I have to honesty say I would prefer it to be Ryuuichi among anyone else. I trust in Ryuuichi’s integrity so if that is truly what Akihito wants, then I will give him to Ryuuichi.”

“Really?” Kaede asked, surprised at her father’s answer. “You do realize they’re both male.”

“Oh stop treating me like I’m some stogy old coot. I’m very open to a lot of these new modern...propositions. If Akihito’s preference is men, then so be it. I will support him to my grave. Given that he makes the right choice in partners. But I will have no doubts if he were to pick Ryuuichi.” Isamu said as he took a sip of his sake. “Akihito has no position in our world. It’s inevitable that he would feel lonely here. And he can’t come to me or you for everything twenty-four seven. It’ll be good for him if he were to be on intimate terms with more people then just you and I.”

“Akihito is so desperate for Ryuuichi to notice his feelings…it makes a spectator like myself sad to see him being ignored…”

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Isamu pushed his food away and turned his full attention to his daughter. “Kaede, remember when you were eight years old. You stole a hundred dollar wallet from this store that you planned to give to me as a gift?”

Kaede shrugged. “……Yeah...what about it?”

“That was the first time you ever disappointed me. Up until then, we have been very good friends. I never yelled at you, I never punished you…Up until then, all of my attention was for you; all of my love was for you too. Now, do you remember the woman I started dating at that time?”

“Yes” Kaede said sharply. “I hated her. She always out staged me.”

“Right. She buys me expensive watches, wallets, suits. You on the other hand gave me hand drawn pictures of stick figures or your paper mache dolls. You started to feel threatened by her. You started to believe I would care for her more than you because of the lavish gifts she bought and also because I started to share my attention, so you became desperate to get my attention back all to yourself again.”

“What's your point…?”

“After you stole that wallet, I yelled at you and punished you for the first time ever.”

“Oh yeah…I remember that. You ignored me for a week” Kaede recalled bitterly.

“You got so upset during that week you tried everything to get me to look at you. You followed me everywhere, you threatened me, you caused scenes in public, and you even tried to catch the flu by standing outside in the rain for two hours...” Isamu said, chuckling as he recalled his daughter’s silliness.

“Why are you bringing this up?”

“The same thing is happening between Akihito and Ryuichi. Akihito wants Ryuichi’s full and undivided attention on him and him only. Ryuichi is kind to him, but he pushes Akihito away and ignores him often enough that Akihito has grown to be like this. Just like all the little things you did to get me to look at you again. It’s very natural for kids to not want to share what they like.”

“Yeah but Akihito isn't eight years old. Shouldn't he outgrown that by now?

"We're giving Akihito a life he has never had and always wished for. It's inevitable he would regress back a few years in age."

"But what if it's really is something more?”

“Look Kaede, I think you’ve been reading too much of those BL or yaoi mangas or whatever they’re called that you have laying around. I know you’re really into that stuff - I know you’re really into romance, but those books of yours are giving you unrealistic expectations. If Akihito really does feel something deeper for Ryuuichi, fine. But if he doesn’t and he is simply mixing up the different types of love out there, than don’t urge him. If you keep suggesting to him that what he is feeling is really passionate-sexual-adult love, then he will believe you are right and he might go ahead and do something stupid.”

“Like what…?”

“What if the kid decides to go ahead and find someone he can gain more “experience” with so he can match Ryuuichi’s expectations? You also have to consider the fact that Ryuuichi is a man – with power. He needs his sexual desires satisfied. Do you think Akihito will agree to satisfy him that way? Do you think a fourteen year old former drug addict sex slave won't be afraid with such invasive acts? Do you think Akihito will be free with his body? Do you think someone so young with so much dark history - when it really comes down to it - will be open to sex? Have you thought about all these questions? If you ask me, I don't think Akihito is ready to commit himself in that way just yet. If Ryuuichi agrees to play boyfriend and boyfriend with Akihito, he will still need to find people every once in a while to satisfy him sexually.If Akihito discovers that Ryuuichi was sleeping around while “dating” him, how do you think the kid is going to feel? Do you understand? Ryuuichi is an adult; he doesn’t have the time, patients or interest to play with kids. He’s not a parent either so he wouldn’t know how to either. The only way for Akihito and Ryuuichi to enter into some sort of deeper relationship is if Akihito is _sexually_ attracted to Ryuuichi, and Ryuuichi to him – that’s how love between adults work, you know that. And until Akihito is mature enough to understand and distinguish exactly what his feelings are and what he is willing to commit, don’t try to turn his life into one of your weird fantasy gay manga stories. Okay? That's not how this world works. The two of them aren't blank pages you can manipulate into one of your fictional stories. I repeat, _do_ _**not**_ _mistake Akihito's desires for Ryuuichi and Ryuuichi's compassion for Akihito as something sexual_. If the two of them are really meant to be together, they will be in good time. Fate is unpredictable after all. ”

Crossing her arms, Kaede slid down her chair and pouted. “…But they would be so cute together…” she mumbled. Isamu just looked at his grown up kid daughter and smiled. She and Akihito really are related.

Leaning against the elevator walls, Asami sneezed. The Takeos’ were probably talking about him behind his back, or maybe the little puppy was cursing him upstairs. The poor brat’s behavior angered him, but he was no longer a child. He shouldn’t participate in this childish tantrum, but when Akihito said he was nothing to him, it struck a nerve. Asami didn’t allow it to show on his face, but those words angered him. However, when Akihito came down to dinner, with that sad little face and cute little pout, all the anger in him dissolved. Akihito was still a child and just not any child, a child going through the most difficult phase in life so he needs to be more accepting. Once the elevator finally reached the top floor where their two rooms, adjoining, stood, Asami exited and went straight for Akihito’s room.

He unlocked the door and stepped into a dark room. Flipping on the lights, he smiled when he saw a small bulge underneath the covers on the bed.

“What are you doing under there Akihito?” he said in a playful tone and the bulge flinched at the sound of his voice.

Walking over to the bed and sitting down, Asami reached for the warm little bulge and pulled it over to him, but the bulge resisted.

“Who said you could touch me? Stay away from me!” the muffled voice from underneath the sheets cried out. But Asami just chuckled as he dragged the reluctant boy closer into his arms. “Go away, mind your own business! I already swore that I would never talk to you again.” the little bulge shouted and squirmed, but Asami’s hold on him was firm.

“You’re still angry with me? It’s been a whole day already. Come on out.”

When he finally pulled the covers off of Akihito, the boy immediately dove underneath the pillows to hide his face.

Chuckling, Asami placed once hand on the boy’s back and caressed it gently. “Naomi doesn’t mean a thing to me now. We are not even business partners. The two of us only have our past, there is no future. She was just passing through town this morning and had some free time on her hands. We were reminiscing the past. No more.”

When Akihito remained silent, he continued. “Come out from under there Akihito” and when Akihito didn’t make to move, Asami grabbed the pillows off of the boy and placed them off to the sides, revealing Akihito’s angry eyes and saddened face. His heart softened at the sight. Reaching out, he stroked the young teen’s head and pulled the boy towards him but Akihito wouldn’t have it. The boy resisted stubbornly.

“Don’t be sad anymore Akihito” he said soothingly. “It’s my fault all right?”

With his brows furrowed, Akihito turned his head so he could see Asami’s face. “If you’re so sorry then why are you smiling? Wipe that smug smile off your face you bastard…”

Asami chuckled. “I do mean it Akihito. I was wrong.”

“Humph, stop pretending around me.” Akihito said sharply as he sat up from the bed, the back of his head turned towards Asami.

“Then what would you like me to do?” Asami asked. Extending out his hand, he placed it in front of Akihito. “Here, would you like to hit me and release your anger?”

Glaring between the large hand in front of him and Asami, Akihito grabbed the older man’s hand with his two smaller ones and brought it between his teeth and bit down hard. He heard Asami grunt slightly behind him, but he wasn’t about to let go so soon. When the taste of blood touched his tongue, Akihito released the hand and threw it away from him.

“Are you happy now?” Asami asked as he assessed the damage the puppy had dealt to his hand.

Looking at Asami’s exasperated expression, Akihito’s furrowed brows relaxed and his angry eyes softened. He didn’t fight it when the older man pulled him into his embrace to comfort him to time.

“Shh, don’t be sad Akihito. What’s there to be sad about?”

“What do you know” he said bitterly. “Every time we meet, I get my hopes up, and every time I come home, I feel like a fool. I drop you so many hints but you seem incapable of picking any of them up. It’s so frustrating. I’m so frustrated. Don’t you know that there’s someone who occupies my thought every day and night? This person is so far away, but he’s actually close at hand. This person is a blockhead, a big jerk, an idiot who doesn’t have a brain. He barely talks, and when he does, it’s always one or two words long. He’s a moron incapable of noticing the small things around him. He’s the stupid son from a big ass rich family. _Now_ do you understand? Don’t tell me after all this time, you haven’t felt anything?”

“But why Akihito?”

Akihito’s face scrunched up in pain but he refused to allow the tears to build up as he looked up at Asami’s impassive face. “So…all this time, I’ve just been imagining things. You have never thought about me at all, have you?”

Turning away, Akihito hid his face from view, trying his best to appear normal. He felt so stupid. All the little tricks and gimmick he had tried to grab Asami’s attention with were so desperate and childish he felt foolish. And now he feels even more foolish knowing Asami didn’t once see eye to eye with him.

“Akihito, think hard. The feelings you have for Takeo, how is it different than what you feel for me?”

Turning around, Akihito sniffed and looked into Asami’s eyes. “I don’t feel angry and frustrated after spending a day with Isamu-san…”

Asami shook his head. "Takeo spends more time with you. When the two of you are together, he tries to get as close to you as possible and you welcome it. He also devotes his entire attention to you and you only. But I don’t do that. Now think again. Is it because I am unable to give you the same attention Takeo or Kaede give you that makes you go crazy for it? If I were to act more like them, would you still feel the same for me as you are now?”

“…I…I don’t know…” Akihito replied quietly.

“You’re a smart boy Akihito, think harder.”

“…M-Maybe not…”

“This is the nature of human desire.”

“So…you’re saying what I’ve been feeling up until now is all wrong…?” Akihito asked softly.

“I won’t say that. However, I will say your current stage in life is the most confusing stage. When you overcome this period – when you are older - rethink everything carefully. Don’t judge solely on emotions because they can be misleading. When you are more understanding of your own feelings, we will sit down and talk like rational adults.”

Sitting up, with his eyes glued on Asami, Akihito grasped onto the lapels of the older man’s suit. What Asami said may be true. He did desire Asami only because the older man always pushed him away and he wanted to know more. The people he spends the most time with are all willing to tell him everything, except Asami. He knows how many tattoos Kujo have and where they all are. He knows Kaede’s daily beauty routine and her mascara face. He knows Isamu’s hobbies and his party tricks. But he doesn’t even know what Asami’s favorite color is. This was probably what attracted him to Asami. However, what Asami said about him becoming older, left a glimmer of hope in him. Perhaps he did house some deeper feelings for Asami, but he was too stupid to figure out exactly what those deeper feelings entailed. Either way, he knows one thing – not all hope is lost. Asami did not reject him.

“Then…” he started. “In the future, you’re not allowed to be mean to me. You can’t act like I don’t mean anything to you.”

Asami smiled and pulled the boy into his arms and held him close. “Both of us, all right?”


	15. The Palace of Prolonged Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable ideas dialogues and characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: unedited, underage, oc, ooc, au

**Chapter 14 The Palace of Prolonged Joy**

This was the eighth time this evening he walked past this street. He wanted to think and he wanted to do it alone. The cold crisp air cleared his mind and kept his wits sharp so his thoughts could not consume him. But he has been outside wondering the streets for nearly two hours; he felt his exposed skin growing numb from the winter air.

“Young man” a deep clear voice called out and Akihito looked up to see an elderly man standing by his doorway. “Young man, you’ve been up and down these streets for hours. What is your business here?”

For an elderly man, his voice was very powerful. Even from a distance, Akihito could tell he was a refined gentleman. “Sorry.” He called out. “I’ll leave right away.”

“You seem troubled. Much more troubled than a young soul like yourself should be. You look like you need someone to talk to. Why don’t you come inside and warm up a bit before you leave for home?”

“Oh no that’s quite all right. I don’t want to be a bother. And I’m not cold, really.” Akihito lied. He was freezing.

“Nonsense. Your lips are almost blue. Come inside” the elderly man gestured and Akihito reluctantly accepted. Entering a complete strangers house wasn’t the brightest idea in the basket, however what choice did he have? His home – his warm, welcoming home was like a dungeon to him at the moment; stifling, dark, negligent, empty and heavy. His guardian Takeo playing the role of the warden, keeping him locked away in like a shrinking violet in a secret garden.

~~~~~

After the rejection, Akihito felt a loneliness he has never felt before. He had never even considered why he was so keen on chasing Asami - a stranger - so intensely before. But now, with his step sister finally back to America for school, he has given himself ample time to think.

One thing Asami said was correct – his attraction toward the man was because Asami didn’t allow him to see any more than what was passed the surface, no matter how close he tried to get. It was pure human curiosity. And he has one very curious mind.

Maybe what he wanted wasn’t Asami but something else. Perhaps Asami was a distraction from the truth. Or perhaps Asami was the only one who was not connected to this truth, or maybe, Asami is the only one who wasn’t hiding this truth from him. And so, Asami became an escape for him from the grim truth he was not allowed to know.

Akihito always felt that the Takeos’ knew something. Something damning, and it was something that is related to him. And this truth his family knew was something held in secret from him for a long time. Perhaps even before his existence.

Even his incredibly supportive sister would give him nothing but prevarications when it came to the truth he sought. His guardian was even less forthcoming; in fact, whenever the topic was brought up, Takeo would take him out to a camera shop or bakery to distract him from the subject.

He didn’t want to be lied to any longer; he didn’t want to be kept in the dark. He couldn’t live in such suffocation. He needed emotional solace and release or else he would recede into nothing.

Ever since his arrival into the family, he had pursued Takeo on this very subject several times, and every time, he ended up getting a new piece of photography equipment and a few extra pounds with no answers.

He never tried to push his adoptive father further on the subject. It was not his position to test the boundaries between the two of them, he needed to respect the man, and somewhere deep inside of him, he actually feared to know the truth. But he has lied to himself too many times already and it was not like him to shrink away.

He won’t be bribed again and he won’t be scared, even with the release of Canon’s newest EOS model or with the threat of being disowned. He is determined to obtain an answer.

He can’t live in his current world any longer; a world where his fears still lay and where he is restricted from anything and everything - especially a truth about his own life. He wants to be freed so his clipped wings can heal. He needed liberation from the shackles of his past so he can fly off into the whole new world in front of him.

~~~~~

“Here you are” the elderly man said as he placed a tray with hot tea and assorted snacks on the coffee table.

“Thank you.”

“So, why is a young man wondering the streets in the middle of winter? Did you run away from home?”

“No…not really…I came to search for something I guess…”

“Oh? And what is it that you came to look for?”

Akihito felt for the piece of paper with the address written on it in his coat pocket. “I…” then he paused. He was nauseous with apprehension. In his heart, he had always felt he knew a little bit of the truth, but his speculations had no concrete proof. Now that he was close to uncovering it, he was unsure if he was ready to face the reality. “I’m not too sure myself now…” he said, his voice shaking a little bit.

Looking around the room, Akihito felt a peace of mind that he hasn’t felt for years. Ever since his adoption, his life has been so…frantic and hectic. Between learning proper protocols for someone of his station and schooling, he barely has time to breath.

The walls of the rooms were covered in a nice layer of beige, floral wallpaper. The tables and chairs around him were all wood and the smell of the house was that of mothballs. People might find it weird that he likes the smell, but if comforted him, because it was associated with a piece of loving memory. Back at the brothel, the Madame would have handfuls of these pesticides all around. The smell brought back some good recollections there with his mother and some of the ladies.

Actually, his memories of that place were all good. Even after his mother’s abrupt departure, his memories with the other residents were nice.

They were all decent memories he treasured.

And that’s what he came here to do, he came here so that those memories will be able to forever rest in peace in his heart, and to do that, he must unearth the truth and accept it. He can’t run away anymore. “Actually, I’m looking for this place here” he said as he pulled out the slip of paper and handed it over to the man.

~~~~~

“Come in” the voice on the other side of the door answered and Akihito, gathering enough courage and resolve, opened the large wooden door and stepped into the room. He was trembling a little. Takeo’s respect and acknowledgement meant a great deal to him, and he didn’t want to lose it. He didn’t want to lose the older man either, but his conscience could abide no longer.

Takeo was sitting at his desk. His eyes didn’t even glance toward Akihito when he stepped in. The man was busy going through data and reports of some sorts.

Takeo’s office didn’t look like it would belong to a business man. One long massive bookshelf that lined the office was filled with books on literature – Takeo’s favorite. Surrounding the office was a few paintings and poems encased in classy expansive frames lying around; some by famous artists and poets all around the world, and some by Takeo himself. The man was quite the artist. He liked to paint and write poems during his free time, and they were all very original. Akihito admires his adoptive father’s style very much.

“How can I help you Akihito?”

“There’s something I need to discuss with you…do you have the time?” Akihito asked.

“Of course, what is it?”

“There’s something I want.” Akihito answered simply.

Takeo paused, glanced at Akihito questioningly then back at his work. “Care to elaborate?” he asked.

“I want someone close to me…” Akihito answered vaguely.

Takeo sighed. “For such a direct young man, that was quite an evasive answer.”

“I’ve been feeling very empty and restraint for some time…for a very long time…It’s almost like someone is choking me…”

“Is this about young Asami Ryuichi?” Takeo asked. “Didn’t we have this discussion already after the trip? That man isn’t the type of person you jump to on a dime. He can’t be one of those school girls…or in your case school boy fancies. I’ve already introduced you to some nice young men your age with the same taste so –”

“He has nothing to do with this.” Akihito quickly cut him off before the conversation strayed off the path. “This is between you and me.” He said, his voice firm yet shaky.

Akihito finally got his attention. Saving the documents on his computer, Takeo closed the windows and looked over at Akihito. The young man standing in front of him had strong eyes but he could see his hands trembling slightly.

“This is about my past…my truth…” Akihito finally said. Sucking in a deep breath, Akihito stilled his shaky voice. “I want to know what you are hiding from me. All of it.”

Akihito remained silent on the spot while Takeo just looked at him. “We’ve had this discussion on several occasions before didn’t we? I’ve already told you. I know as much as you.”

“No, I know you know more than you’re letting on” Akihito snapped back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Takeo said as he stood up and reached for his coat. “I hear today is the release date for Canon’s newest model. Why don’t we go down to their store and take a look?”

“Stop it!” Akihito cried out. “I know this diversion tactic of yours! I don’t need another new camera; now please tell me what you are hiding.”

Shocked at the sudden outburst, Takeo fell back down on his seat and he remained silent as he studied the mixture of emotions running across Akihito’s face.”

“What makes you think I’m hiding something from you?” he finally said.

“You obviously are. I have all those new cameras and lenses and the extra pounds to prove it. Plus, you chose to evade my question fearing your response will betray you. If you weren’t hiding something from me, then you would have defended yourself…and you won’t try to bribe me with another new camera. I’m a lot smarter than what my grades are suggesting.”

“Ha…” Takeo chuckled lightly. “Hahah…You really are. Never for a moment did I think you weren’t a bright boy. With only one sentence, you were able to deduct I am hiding something. But I guess all my early briberies gave me away anyway. Raiju was right; I really do have to be careful around you.” He muttered to himself.

“You’re not denying it?” Akihito asked, surprised when Takeo completely allowed the mask to fall.

“That would be an insult to your intelligence Akihito. And I think I’ve done plenty of that already.”

“If that’s the case then tell me everything. I’ve never once questioned your reasons for bringing me into your home but it’s troubling. I want to know the reason.”

“I felt an obligation to help a poor young boy. Do I need a reason to help someone? Does anybody need a reason to offer a helping hand?”

“For someone like you, it is. Adopting a street boy would do your reputation and pride more harm than good. Now why would you do that? Why would you tarnish your reputation and suffer the scandal…unless…” Akihito trailed off.

“Unless what?” Takeo followed up but Akihito remained silent, hoping for Takeo to finish his sentence.

Takeo smiled. “You’ve already thought it through this far, might as well see it to its conclusion.”

“Unless you adopted me out of a guilty conscious.”

“Oh? Please, explain.” Takeo said as he pulled out a chair for Akihito.

Sucking in a deep breath, Akihito took a seat and faced Takeo directly. “You adopted me out of guilt because you were the one who took my mother away from me. So you took me in when you realized who I was. My mother was taken away by a rich man who lived in or near Yokohama. And you are one of very few who fits that description.”

Takeo nodded. “Very good Akihito. A very valid and strong speculation, but very wrong. I wasn’t the one who bought Takaba Yayoi. I swear it to you.”

Akihito finally released the breath he was holding. He was relieved, very much relieved to hear this.

“Then you know who did it. Please” he pleaded. “I have the right to know.”

“No you do not Akihito. For the greater good; for the sakes of everyone involved in this affair, you do not. I am sorry Akihito.”

“Why!” Akihito shot up from his chair and shouted. “Why won’t you tell me what happened to my only family!”

“We are your family now” Takeo said with force. “The past is dead and gone. I will make it all up to you, I promise. I swear” he said with conviction.

“That’s not what I want! I want the truth. Why is this truth so incriminating that it can never be spoke of? Ever since I came here, all everyone does is dance around the truth and shrink into evasion when it becomes dangerous of leaking out. Please, don’t you realize I need to know?” Akihito pleaded. “I now know why I am so attached to Asami, because he doesn’t have anything to do with this truth. He doesn’t treat me like I’m some sort of fine china teacups that would break if touched. I can handle the truth, trust me. This truth you are hiding is pushing us apart and that makes me scared. I want to know but I’m scared I might lose you so I run to Asami because he has no strings attached to any of this. And even if he does, he has kept his distance so his involvement has little significance. Asami is like a replacement for you.”

“…Some secrets best stay as secrets” was the simple reply to his outburst.

Akihito stared hard at his guardian. “Then I don’t think I can stay here any longer.”

“Where will you go? Asami’s? That kid will drag you back here within a day. Will you inconvenience your friends’ family? You have no place to go. It’s freezing outside. Your home is here.”

“I’ll go anywhere! I just can’t stay here with you…at least right now I can’t. As long as you continue to keep all the secrets in my life from me, I can’t stay because you are restraining me to the point where I can’t even breathe and I can’t live like that.”

“So that’s it” Isamu said quietly as he stood up from his desk. “Freedom. It’s freedom that you want.”

Akihito looked up into Takeo’s eyes. “Yes…yes I suppose that is what I want. I want to be liberated from my past so I can move on. I’ve never really fully recovered after my…condition. Because these…chains from my past are weighing me down… _my mother_ is chaining me down. I will never be at peace unless I know what has become of her. I’m suffocating."

Takeo didn’t say anything. The silence was frightening. This man in front of him can so easily throw him back onto the streets despise all his promises remained perfectly still as Akihito tried to keep his heart from jumping out of him.

Finally, Takeo pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something down, handing it to Akihito.

“What is this?” he asked as he read the content.

“An address. That is the address of the home Takaba Yayoi grew up in. You might find something there. This is all that I can offer you. Like you, I am also restricted by the past. I cannot divulge you the answers you want so easily.”

Akihito nodded and stood up to leave. “Will this destroy our relationship?” he stopped and asked quietly.

“No. I will always be your friend Akihito. I will always be your family.”

“Thank you”

“One piece of advice” Takeo said just before Akihito left. “Some secrets may be better left untold. Your search for the truth might turn up some things you aren’t ready for yet. Tread carefully Akihito.”

Akihito nodded and left.

~~~~~

Akihito waited patiently as the elderly man pulled out his reading glasses and read the address written on it.

“Ah yes, I recognize this address” the old man said.

“You do!?”

“Yes, but I’m afraid this place is no longer in existence” he said as he handed the paper back to Akihito. “These streets have all been changed. This particular address you are looking for was still around when I was in school, but after I moved back here for retirement, the city changed everything.”

“Do you remember where this street was before the change?” Akihito asked.

“I’m sorry young man, I don’t remember. It was such a long time ago and I never paid much attention back then.”

“If I go to the city, would they give me the information?”

“I doubt they would give it to just anyone. Especially a young man such as yourself.”

Leaning back against the sofa, Akihito sighed as disappointment washed over him. “So I’m at a dead end then.”

“Maybe” the man said, taking a sip of his tea. “What will you do now?”

“I can’t go home if that’s what you mean. My guardian gave me this address saying I’ll be able to find what I’m looking for here. I think he sent me out here on a wild goose chase. He doesn’t want me finding out the truth you see, so he thought he’d send me to a dead end so I’d give up. I’ve been pestering him, he’s probably annoyed.”

“What truth were you hoping to gain?”

Akihito sat up. “I want to know what had happened to my mother. She was cruelly taken from me.”

“And you thought you’d find her here?”

“No…I thought I might find the truth here, or at least a clue.”

“You know young man; you are making it sound like she is no longer of this world.”

“…” Akihito opened his mouth but no words came out. He wasn’t even consciously aware he had been addressing his mother in such a way. “No…I’m sure she’s…”

“It seems you are semi-aware of what you were saying. Somewhere inside of you, you believe she has passed do you not?”

“I…I always felt that she is with me only in memory and…spirit.” He finally said and it was something he never wanted to say out loud. “But I’ve been kept in the dark for years, she could still be living elsewhere. I don’t really know if she is gone or not, that has always been my first assumption.”

“First assumptions are as often correct as they are wrong.” The man spoke. “But, like you said, you didn’t come here to look for your mother; then what?”

Akihito shook his heavy head. “…I came for the truth. I want to know what happened to her after she was taken from me. As long as I don’t know that, I will be shackled and butchered by the past and I don’t want that. I want to move on. As long as I don’t know what happened, I will always hold onto the small hope that she is still out there somewhere and I don’t want to hold onto false hope. I want to be freed. I was given a whole new world to explore and I don’t want to be left behind. This new life of mine, I can’t appreciate its worth, while the past still haunts me.” Akihito explained. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling now.”

“No, it’s quite all right. I understand perfectly” the elderly man said.

“You…do…?”

“The past haunts us all, especially those that are unresolved. I myself have recently been freed from the past and I understand your plight.”

“What happened?”

“Ah, it’s a boring story” the man said as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea.

“I’ve told you my story, it would only be fair if you were to do the same.” Akihito pointed out and the man chuckled at his cheekiness.

“My little sister.” He finally said.

“What about your sister?”

“I loved her.”

“Is that…appropriate?”

“To society, no, but she was my adopted sister. My sister was adopted into our family when my mother’s child was born dead. She was beside herself with grief and my father couldn’t watch any longer so he adopted her. However, my mother couldn’t come to love someone who wasn’t of her own blood, she couldn’t accept the “stranger” that was brought in to replace her dead child and so she treated her poorly.”

“So they didn’t keep her?” Akihito asked.

“No no they did. She grew up into a beautiful young woman. Kind, well educated, bold. I came to care for her very deeply. But when the economy regressed, my parents lost their jobs. They borrowed money they couldn’t return and with no other options left, they sold her into prostitution. I was in pursuit of my career back then so I did not know what had happened. They just told me she left on her own accord.

“You didn’t look for her? You cared for her didn’t you?” Akihito asked.

“Back then, we became too close and there was talk. My parents didn’t want the scandal so they threatened to send her away and threatened to disown me. I made a deal with them. I told them I will keep my distance and pursue a life that is society acceptable if they promised to keep her here. But I continued to meet up with her in secret. She tried to push me away fearing for my future, but I was quite persistent. When she left, I thought it was because of me.” The man explained with a woeful face. “After she left our family, we moved. I only moved back here four years ago. This was the place where I had all of my good memories with her so I purchased this house. I was also hoping her memories of our past would bring her back as well.”

“And did she come back?”

The man nodded. “She did, she spent her remaining days here and I was honored she chose me to spent them with.”

“She’s…dead…” Akihito asked quietly.

“She went painlessly. She had a tough life. Her body was at its limits. There she is over there.” He pointed at the tiny shrine which housed an urn. “Resting peacefully on our mantel.”

Akihito stood up slowly and walked over to have a better look. He gently brushed his fingers across the smooth surface when he noticed a second urn hidden behind the first. “Who’s in the other urn?” he asked.

“That was her son’s.”

“Son? She had a son? And he died too?”

“She was sold into prostitution; it shouldn’t come as a shook. The baby died of congenital heart failure. There was nothing she could have done. She was afraid he died because she had done something wrong so she buried him. When we reunited, she wanted to give him proper rest so she unearthed him and brought him into our home.”

“You must have been very lonely.” Akihito said softly.

“Yes and no. My only regret was that I did not pursue my parents for the truth. If I did, then we would have been able to spend our lives together.”

“There was nothing you could have done though.”

“No, that’s not true. When she left, I hesitated and it ended up costing me a life time with her.”

Akihito turned to look deep into the man’s eyes. “So your hesitation cost you everything.”

“Our last few moments together were nice but it wasn’t the moments I wanted. I had wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, not just a fleeting moment.”

Akihito’s fingers gripped the edges of the mantel hard. “I…I think I also desire someone, but I am hesitant.”

“Oh? How so?” the elderly man asked.

“I can’t tell if I desire this person because of passion or just simply for a physic refuge. This person isn’t someone I can just use to explore and expand my horizons. I’ve been rejected before, twice because I was unsure of what I wanted and because I was unprepared for commitment. And also probably because I’m too young…”

“You’re a bit young for commitment.”

“This commitment is different. I’m hesitating and it’s not appreciated.”

The elderly man nodded. “Our existence is fleeting. There is no better time than the present. Hesitation will cost you regret. You must chase after your true passions.”

“That’s just the thing. I don’t think it is passion I’m feeling. I seek something else…”

“Passion doesn’t need to be the bedrock of a relationship. It can be mutual respect, love, compassion and comfort. And these emotions last much longer than passion I might add.”

“But the one I want…is a man. Like you with your step sister, it’s not society appropriate for a man to be seen with another man is it? I know some go hand in hand in secret, but this man has eyes watching him constantly. He’s of a higher…breeding I suppose. It could be dangerous to him. The reality of being gay isn’t so forgiving or accepting.”

“Perhaps, but why do you feel for him?” the elderly man asked.

“Ummmm…well, he’s unusual. He’s very bold. He’s very quiet but that often speaks volumes. He’s experienced in the world. He’s exhilarating in some ways. He’s a stick in the mud sometimes though, but he’s kind in his own odd ways…” Akihito rambled on.

The elderly man smiled as Akihito lost himself in a love sick ramble. “I’ve noticed you never said you loved him. You said you desired him.”

“Well I…” Akihito began but was quickly cut off.

“Perhaps there is a reason for that.”

“And what reason would that be?” Akihito asked.

“You want to be more to him than a lover don’t you?

“…I don’t want to be his lover…lovers deceive. I’ve seen it all too often…” Akihito said. “But I do want to be with him. But I don’t know what.”

“Yes, being in love with him would mean deception. What you seem to want is his loyalty.”

“Loyalty? I’m not one of his employees.” Akihito scuffed. “He has this secretary who does everything he says without question. And I’ve overheard his other men talking to him loads of times . They say they would do anything for him. I’m not going to be one of his loyal dogs. A least being a lover would get me on equal plains with him.”

“Those employees who would do anything for that man will always be below him. That sort of loyalty will not bring you anywhere near his eye sight. But being a lover might not bring you there either. A lover can be used as a tool for sexual release, especially young people. That’s not much of an equal if you ask me.” The man explained. “There is nothing stronger than loyalty to hold down a man. You have to rise above both that of a lover and a follower to command his undying loyalty and to stand on equal footing.”

“Loyalty…” Akihito whispered.

The elderly man chuckled. “You are a funny one. Most children your age don’t think so seriously on such matters. It isn’t your time to worry about such things.”

“Haha…you’re right, but I always feel that if I don’t hold onto him now, I will lose him, and I will lose all the possibilities that come with being with him. My family now have opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities, but they’re all so… ordinary. He on the other hand can show me more; he can show me the excitement of breaking taboos, the rush of pushing boundaries, the thrill of diving deep into the abyss and so much more! There’s so much I want to do with this life, so much I want to see. I don’t want to sit behind a desk with a school book. I want excitement and adventure and he is the only one who will allow me to indulge in these thrashes of life.” Akihito explained; his voice filled with excitement and passion that it brought a genuine smile onto the elderly man’s face. “I guess that’s my answer. That’s why I desire him. But you know what’s frustrating? My family thinks I’m gay. I probably am in a way but this is different. I’m not attracted to him because he’s a man. My sister thinks it’s cute because this is just like one of those manga’s she likes. Oh and you know what? Just last week, my adoptive father introduced me to some guys my age. Turns out they are all gay. It’s actually somewhat insulting.” He recalled sourly.

“Well, it seems you need to tell this father of yours that you aren’t falling for a man, but for a person – a human being. This man of yours holds the key to a whole new world of experiences; anyone would be attracted to that. If your family believes you are in love because he is a good looking man, then that would cheapen the value wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do that.” Akihito agreed with a smile. It seems he didn’t run into a complete dead end after all. He had found some answers. It might not have been the answers he was looking for, but none the less, it soothed some of the dilemma in his heart.

“So what was she like? Your sister” he asked as he turned to look at the urns again.

“Oh she was a lovely girl, quite witty, stubborn and beautiful. I didn’t know the boy though but I’m sure he would have been lovely.”

“Do you have a picture?” Akihito asked, curious to see this beautiful, strong willed woman.

“Sadly I do not. I only have my memories.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. You should get a camera. I always carry a small one with me” Akihito said, pulling out his pocket model to show to the man. “That way, I can preserve any moments or anyone I want forever.”

“Yes, that is a lovely idea.” The man smiled.

“So what were their names then?” Akihito asked.

“Takaba. She was Takaba Yayoi. And her son here was given the name Akihito. Takaba Akihito.”

_~~~~~_

“So Akihito ran away from home?” Asami asked. He was sitting in his living room in his bathrobe with a drink by his side and a copy of the paper in his hand. He was just about to finish up and go to bed when his father’s right hand man called him.

 _“He didn’t run away per se, but we had a little squabble”_ Isamu spoke from the other line. _“I’m tracking his phone right now and from the GPS, it says he is nearing Shinjuku. I can only suspect he’s looking for you.”_

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Asami spoke cooling into the phone.

_“The kid needs some time alone to think. I don’t think he’ll be coming back to me anytime soon. He’s trying to find himself.”_

“You’re sounding very guilty Takeo, what did you say to him” Asami asked.

_“That’s not what’s important right now. If he arrives, could you let him stay with you until he has figured himself out?”_

"Why can’t he figure himself out in his own home?"

_“Because he is a teenager filled with raging hormones and he needs space. Right now, I am a villain in his life who is keeping him from his mother. But he thinks very highly of you, perhaps you could help. If not for Akihito’s sake, then for your father’s sake."_

“I am not responsible for my father’s past mistakes.” Asami stated. His tone unyielding.

_"Fine fine fine. Then just offer him a place to stay. The kid is incredibly stubborn; I don’t think he’ll come home tonight even if you tied him to the back of your car and dragged him back.”_

Just as Asami was about tell the man no, he did not want to give the young boy any misguiding ideas by letting him stay, the bell to his flat rung loud. “There’s someone at the door, I’ll call you back.” He said and hung up.

Asami knew Akihito was on the other side of the door. He could hear the shuffling of small feet back and forth in the hallway. He couldn’t tell the boy to go home at this hour. He had no choice but to allow him to stay for one night. But he was not pleased to be used like this.

“Akihito, what a lovely surprise. What brings you here?” He asked when he opened the door, revealing an Akihito whose face was contorted into a mixture of fear, confusion and resolution. His usual light hazel orbs were clouded with a hue of black. It was something he had never seen on anyone before.

Leaning down slightly, he gently brushed the boy’s hair out of his eyes. “Akihito, what’s wr—” he began but was cut short when Akihito grabbed the front of his bathrobe and violently pulled him forward to place a rough, firm kiss onto his mouth.

Breaking the kiss, he pushed Akihito off of him and held him at arm’s length. “Akihito, what on earth…”

“This is what I want.” Akihito said his eyes unyielding and his stance sturdy.

“We’ve been through this already. You are –”.

“I know what you are going to say but I’m not confused, not anymore. I am grown up and this is my decision. Akihito said; his tone held a strength he never knew he had and his posture tall to prove his seriousness.

Then he smirked, just like Asami always does but with his own playful twist – challenging, saucy, bold and confident. “I am no shrinking violet and I’m too old to play house so you don’t need to worry. Or perhaps…” he started in a cheeky tone. “Could it be that you are afraid you can’t handle me? The great Asami Ryuichi is afraid he can’t take the challenge.” He said mockingly.

Asami lifted a brow, and then he smirked. He pulled Akihito forward with a rough jerk of the coat collar. The boy’s eyes were laughing, and even a little taunting and Asami knew the looks were directed at him. There was something deeper and darker hidden behind Akihito’s eyes but he can only deal with one problem at a time. “Are you trying to test me, brat, you’ll regret that.”

Akihito smiled back confidently – almost menacingly as Asami pulled him inside and kicked the door closed behind them.


	16. First Naïve - Later Delinquent Development

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder characters are property of yamane ayano
> 
> Warning: unedited, oc, ooc, au
> 
> A/N: I would like to thank everyone for your lovely comments and I'm sorry I haven't reply to them! 
> 
> This chapter might be a little boring - lots of jibber jabber but I promise the next one and later ones will have fluffy AxA moments XD and I will (try to) update faster

**Chapter 15 First Naïve - Later Delinquent Development**

It was scarcely past five in the morning. The usual majestic sun was at her lowest as Akihito was led out into daybreak onto a field of green. Stepping on the fallen fragrant flowers, Akihito checked his own body for any unusual sensations or markings. His skin was almost glowing, just like the lunar lady of the night, drifting for eternity in the dark sky where no escape was possible.

Though the scenery was sundered, the hills and rivers seemed to endure. The petals around him shed like tears and a lone bird sung in the far distance. Akihito felt it again, this hollow, mundane emptiness. Unable to bear the vacancy any longer, he cried out. “Is anybody out there!” but he was met with the eerie reverberations of his own voice. “Is anybody out there!” he shouted again and again, and he was met with the echoes of his own voice each and every time.

Dropping down to his knees, Akihito pulled himself close, trying to feel any sort of human contact, even if it was his own. The field he was in stretched on endlessly. He had tried to find an end countless times before, but his efforts were met in vain. It was almost as if he was in a black hole, unable to escape back into light and time.

“It’s just a dream Akihito” he murmured to himself. “This is just your dream world. You’ll wake up soon, you’ll wake up soon…” he chanted.

Suddenly, a pair of cold, unwelcoming arms wrapped around his neck and rested its chin on his shoulder. The stranger pulled Akihito close and embraced him tightly with its icy body. Akihito flinched, but the bitter coldness paralyzed him mentally. The embrace made him feel hopeless almost. He tried to move his body – tried to pull away, but he found himself completely frozen on the spot.

“Akihito…” the stranger’s deep chilly voice whispered next to his ear.

“W-who are you…” Akihito’s trembling voice finally broke out. He felt a chilling wave of fear wash over his body when the stranger embracing him from behind smiled. It was a sinister, icy smile, one that most people would associate psychopaths’ with.

Akihito broke out into a panic, but the unnamed creature tightened the hold on him, giving him the silent order to stop. “It hasn’t even been a year since last we’ve spoken and you’ve forgotten about me already? How disappointed I am Akihito.” The shadowy figure spoke. “Try to remember the first time we met. Remember.”

Akihito closed his eyes and tried to remember but he couldn’t. He searched his subconscious and conscious mind but everything was empty. “I-I…I don’t know you…”

The stranger smiled again, wider this time. “How cruel of you Akihito. When we were in the celestial beauties of the sky, did we not vow to be as two birds flying wing to wing? When we were on this earthly body, did we not vow to be as two intertwined branches of a tree? Such deeply-rooted promises we made. How could you have forgotten them…?”

“No…no…I don’t remember, I never made those promises…” Akihito whispered. “Why are you here, when I come here, it has always been me alone. Why are you?”

“This has always been _our_ place – always just the two of us. This is the place where our two hearts intertwine. You have forgotten about me because you no longer needed me, so I slept. But now, it seems you need me again, so I am here.”

“Such intense emotions inside of you Akihito” the stranger continued. “Fear, loathing, hesitation, desire, and confusion. What had happened to have made you feel this way?”

The stranger’s initial eerie voice began to smooth out and drop down to a rich, deep baritone voice Akihito loved to listen to all too much. He felt his eyes droop, as that lavish deep voice echoed prosperously throughout the infinite meadow, putting him into a hypnotic trance.

“I-I think I’m finally able to accept it… accept the truth... and I fear I have been betrayed.” Akihito spoke with hazy eyes. “But…now I don’t know who I am. Why am I called Takaba Akihito? Takaba Akihito is dead…his ashes are resting on that mantel…I saw it myself so…who am I?

“Poor boy, poor Akihito. You found out the truth haven’t you. You found out about your poor mother. And about yourself” the stranger cooed.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye…and now, my heart is more distraught than it has ever been.” Akihito whispered.

“Then why do you still hang onto those people after unearthing their betrayal? Why do you still cling onto them even after they’ve played and tossed your weak little heart around?”

“B-Because…I…it’s because…” Akihito stuttered, trying to find an answer within his heart.

The shadow leaned forward and traced his dark breath along Akihito’s ear. “It’s because they’ve given you the love you have always wanted isn’t it? Especially that Asami Ryuichi, he has given you a love you have always craved for.”

“Y-es…” Akihito’s breath hitched.

“But you don’t even know what type of love it is. Poor boy, you are so confused, so uncertain about yourself” the creature smiled as Akihito almost completely emerged in its hypnotic spells. “Toss them all away. They will only continue to hurt you. They will give you love and they will give you injustice. Your poor little mind won’t be able to take more. Throw them all away and let me love you.”

“No…this is all a dream…I want love from real people…in the real world…” Akihito whispered as his eyes became cloudier and cloudier.

“Focus your eyes and look in front of you” the shadow whispered and Akihito complied. Standing in front of them was Takeo Isamu.

“Isamu…-san?”

“He lied to you. He knew what happened to Takaba Yayoi but he kept it from you, to protect something as meaningless as reputation. Now look again.”

The image of Takeo in front of them contorted and slowly shifted into the image of Asami Raiju.

“This is the man responsible for Takaba Yayoi’s demise. You know it and I know it. You have known for the longest of time but you have refused to acknowledge it because he was kind to you.”

“T-There’s no evidence Asami-ojisan is involved…” Akihito whispered.

“Don’t be naïve Akihito. You knew. Admit it. And now, look again.”

Akihito looked and the image suddenly became that of Asami Ryuichi.

“This man you desire is the son of the bastard who tore up your family.”

“No! Ryuichi isn’t involved in any of this. And I’m not even sure if I am a Takaba…I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are. The truth is these people are the ones responsible for your miserable past. Don’t deny it. Now look at them all and tell me what you want to do. Abandon the guilt and light and tell me what you truly desire. The desire nested deep in the deepest and blackest part of your heart.”

“I…” Akihito started.

“Yes Akihito. Dig deep into the darkness of your soul and tell me what you see there…”

“I want to see them…suffer…like I have…” he chocked out.

“Yes” the shadow smiled.

“But not Ryuichi…he isn’t involved.” Akihito whispered.

The shadow’s smile faltered. “No. He is involved. He is at fault too for being born into that family. Which is crueler? To kill a man or to allow said man to grow old without his beloved son? Do you see Akihito? That is why Asami Ryuichi must be involved.”

“I…I can’t…he’s the only one not involved in all of this…he’s the only one who’s not involved and he showed me so much kindness…I can’t lose him…” Akihito chocked out as he tried to hold back a sob.

The shadow’s grin widened. “Then allow me to carry out your grudge. Close your eyes Akihito and I will love you. Give yourself to me and surrender to me all your dreams. Purge your thoughts of life. Release all of your defenses and let the darkness in. You know you cannot fight it” the eerie whisper echoed throughout the pasture, hypnotising Akihito.

Nodding heavily, Akihito closed his eyes and allowed the unescapable darkness to surround him. He leaned back and trusted his whole body and soul to the unknown creature behind him. Smirking, the faceless shadow slipped his fingers into Akihito’s body and began to enter it. Akihito moaned a bit when the hypnotist entered deeper. Akihito struggled at the discomfort but the being hushed him.

“It will all be over soon, once I completely become one with you, you will feel nothing but eternal bliss. You will take flight into a world that is invisible and you will be free forever.” The creature whispered it like a lullaby. “You don’t need to burden yourself any longer. Transfer all of your sorrow and hate onto me. Let me in Akihito.”

Surrendering his entire body completely to be devoured, Akihito withdrawed.

“Akihito…” A distant voice called his name, but soon it became mute to his ears.

Akihito felt his body becoming heavier and distant.

“Akihito.” The distant voice called out again.

He felt his body being shaken as the rich baritone voice he loved all too much called for his name again and again.

“Sshhh, don’t listen to it Akihito, surrender to me.” The figure tried to lure him back with a voice that mimicked the voice he adored.

“W-who are you…” Akihito struggled as he cracked opened his eyes. “You’re voice…why do you sound like Asami…?”

“Don’t listen, Akihito.” The figure said again in the same pitch and quality as Asami.

“No…” Akihito whispered, his mind suddenly becoming sharper. “Who are you? Where is Ryuichi? I can hear him…he’s near…” he said as he slowly pushed himself away from the figure trying to engulf him.

“Akihito” the shadow’s voice hardened. “Don’t listen, I can take away all of your sorrows.”

“No…no, this isn’t right.” Akihito said, pushing the figure away from him and out of him. Finally finding the ability to move again, Akihito turned around to see who it was but his face paled when he saw nothing but a naked body in humanoid form with its face hidden by the darkness.

Suddenly, the humanoid creature smiled. The corners of his mouth stretched from edge to edge, showing his white teeth on that darkened face. It reminded Akihito of the Cheshire cat’s smile and a wave of chilling fear ran throughout his body.

“So, Asami Ryuichi is able to wake you. How cruel of you Akihito, despite all I have done for you, despite all of our history, you would choose him over me.” The creature’s smile continued to linger in the air as a ripple of black washed over him.

“Wait!” Akihito cried out as the darkness enveloped the stranger and he began to disappear. “What are you!”

“Until next time Akihito” the creature said and waved a good bye before the dark abyss dissolved him back into nothingness.

Akihito felt his body being shook once again, and this time, much harder. He moaned and tried to move away from the disturbance but the hand only shook him more.

Akihito blinked once, then twice as he took in his surroundings. He was back in the bed he had been in when he slept over at Asami’s place a month back where he consumed an abundant amount of alcohol for his age.

Gentle warm hands which were rested on his shoulders began to slowly massage his stiff body and Akihito blinked again to clear his vision. His knees were propped up on the soft mattress and his arms were extended out in front of him. When reality finally caught up to him, Akihito saw Asami underneath him, looking as collect as ever; however, his small hands were around the older man’s thick neck.

Asami’s eyes were unusual. They were not the hard shade of gold like they always were. Instead, it was replaced with a comfortable shade of amber. Akihito stared blankly into the older man’s unusual orbs, which surged with an emotion he could not understand.

Asami could see the boy’s eyes were still cloudy, as if a part of his mind was still in a faraway place. He gently unwrapped the small hands from around his neck and slowly placed Akihito back onto his back. He had come in to check on the sleep teenager only to find him squirming wildly under the comforter. When he sat down by the bedside and attempted to wake the boy up from his nightmares, Akihito’s eyes popped open and the boy grabbed him by the neck and pushed him down.

The force of the hands around his neck wasn’t even that strong and he could have easily over powered the boy, but he could tell Akihito was unaware of his actions, and he didn’t want to accidentally hurt the boy while he was in his trance.

Pulling the comforter up to Akihito’s chin, Asami took a hot towel beside him and dabbed it around Akihito’s face.

“W-What happened…?” Akihito asked. His mind now fully awakened and his eyes wide open. “My hands…what was I squeezing just now…?”

“You were having a nightmare” Asami answered simply.

“Nightmare…? What about?” Akihito asked, holding his groggy head.

“I don’t know, you were squirming in your sleep when I came in. You kept mumbling, “get away”.”

“I…I don’t remember at all…I-I think I was looking for you in my dream…” Akihito tried to recall. “Something was after me and I wanted to find safety…so I think I was looking for you…”

Asami smiled. “Well, you found me.”

“Y-Yeah…I did” Akihito smiled a little. “It wasn’t even that scary but…I feel really heavy and…lonely”

“Go back to sleep Akihito” Asami said as he stroked the boy’s head.

“Thank you” Akihito said as closed his eyes once more.

~~~~~

Wiping the frost off of the window, Kasumi stared out at the bright, cold day. The grass was no longer green and quiet songs of the birds were non-existent. Sighing, she left the window and went towards her room. By her bedside, Kasumi pulled out a small mahogany chest and opened it. Inside the velvet lining, was a gold hairpin. The every end of the pin was flattened into a circle with her name engraved in the middle. But the circle at the top was not in its usual shape, and the engraved name was hardly recognizable. Instead, it was hideously disfigured, as if someone had smashed the soft gold with a hammer or melted it in unbearing heat.

Twirling the long hairpin between her fingers, Kasumi just stared at it, studying its history when her maid came into the room.

“Kasumi-san!” Nagi gasped sharply. Almost dropping the tray she was carrying. “Why did you take that out? Quickly, put it away…!” she said and made to take the pin from her mistress’s hands.

“…There’s no need for you to worry…” Kasumi said hollowly as she continued to share into space. “It is only the two of us who knows of this. Even if there was someone else here, what will they suspect? There are absolutely no secrets here. All the secrets are within our hearts.”

“Then hide it in our hearts, there’s no need to dig it out.” 

“How can I not dig it out?” Kasumi said quietly. “If only that child was legitimate, then the present would be completely different.”

“Don’t say anymore! Please don’t say anymore” Nagi panicked, running to windows and doors and closing them. “Be careful, the walls have ears.”

“I have already lost everything…what is there to fear…” Kasumi said. “My father left me with nothing when he gave me away to the Asamis’… all for his so called “business.” Do you know how many lives were ruined because of Asami Raiju’s urges? Once he sees a beautiful woman, he absolutely cannot resist her. He drove my father into hell to get a hold of me, he drove the Takaba family into their graves for the sake of bedding Yayoi…and now that we are old and used and dead, he just throws us away like his old shoes.”

“Kasumi-san…the master has changed…He regrets his actions and is repenting. He still provides for you and he offers compensation to all those others....”

“He matured too late. The damage has already been done. He was a despicable human being.” Kasumi continued. “I thought our marriage was over when that third wife of his came into his view. I never saw his face again. I was young and stupid too. I thought, if he can move on to another person, so can I. This gold hairpin” Kasumi said as she reached for the small jewelry box. “Throughout my marriage with Raiju, he has bought me thousands of beautiful things, but this pin is the only thing I truly treasure, because it was given to me by a man who cherished me. Raiju loved me passionately, but this man loved me compassionately. Nagi, listen well, never live your life with a man filled with passion. Always choose the one filled with compassion, because passion is an emotion that does not last."

“I understand…” the young maid replied meekly. This lecture was one her mistress often gave.

“Do you remember the day I bought you back from the streets Nagi?”

“How could I forget? I was only a child then. If it wasn’t for you, who knows what might have happened to me. You gave me everything.”

“When you came into my care, you were only thirteen. That was when I started my affair with Isamu-san’s younger brother Fusao. Do you remember him Nagi? You had a crush on him” Kasumi recalled, smiling. “You would blush whenever he talked to you.”

“Kk-Kasumi-san…I…!” Nagi blushed.

“The two of us were careless and I ended up becoming pregnant” Kasumi continued. “I love Fusao…I wanted to have his child…”

“Kasumi-san….please, let’s talk about something else.” Nagi pleaded but to no avail. 

“The day when I went into labour, Raiju was consummating his newest marriage. Everything was done in absolute secrecy. No one knew. I still remember your pale face as you tried to help the midwives.”

“There was a lot of screaming…and blood” Nagi said as she recalled that night.

“I was so happy that I had given birth to Fusao’s baby, I had completely forgotten about the consequences.”

“Yes…then one of the midwives snuck out and reported the situation and…” Nagi paused. She only continued when her mistress made no attempted to stop her from continuing. “You had no choice but to give the baby up.”

“That’s right…I threw this hairpin into the fireplace and pressed it against my baby’s soft skin. He cried so much…it must have been painful” she said as tears began spilling down her face.

“For both of you…”

“Then I cold heartedly gave our baby away in a basket…and I never saw him again…”

“…Please don’t say anymore. You can’t guarantee that.” Nagi tried to comfort her mistress the best she could while holding back her own tears. “If Fusao-san didn’t buy that stillborn off of that poor woman, then who knows what would have happened to that poor baby…Kasumi-san, no news is still good news right?”

“Yes, no news can be good news…I can’t guarantee that we will never meet again…” Kasumi said as she turned her gaze intently towards her maid. “Nagi, tell me honestly what you were thinking when you said that?”

“Kasumi-san?” Nagi stared confusingly at her mistress. “I…I’m not sure what you’re saying…”

“The other day, when that boy Takeo Akihito came here, what did you first see?”

“…!” sucking in a sharp breath, Nagi lowered her gaze and stumbled back.

“You also thought this didn’t you. Didn’t you? You said he has my eyes, but who does he truly resemble? Tell me, tell me!”

Clenching her shaking fist, Nagi looked back up into her mistress’s eyes. “…H-He…he looked like…Fusao-san…” she said softly. “The moment I saw his face, I thought it was Fusao-san, c-coming to see you, just like in the past…”

“Exactly…exactly!” Kasumi whispered and striated towards Nagi and grabbed hold of both her hands. “I also felt the same when I first saw him. “Nagi, my baby son whom I threw away, could it be, that he has become this Akihito?”

“…T-Th…”

“Yes…yes…” Kasumi said shakily as tears of sorrow began rolling down her cheeks once more. “This cold, heartless mother, threw away her own flesh and bone…and for what? For something as meaningless as her life? For my own wellbeing, for my fear of Raiju, I have made my own son suffer all these years. My life right now is heaven’s punishment, it is isn’t it! Isn’t it!” She sobbed hysterically.

“Calm down! Please calm down!” Nagi cried out as she embraced her mistress in her arms. “There are lots of people in this world who resembles each other. I know, all these years, not a day goes by where you haven’t forgotten that poor child. I understand, I completely understand. But no matter how much regret you have, you can’t jump to conclusions.” Nagi said gently “There are over a hundred million people in Japan, what are the odds that this Akihito is that boy?”

“Yes…yes…you’re right…” Kasumi wiped her tears as she put the small jewelry box away.

~~~~~

_Now that I am back again, I shall resume my duty in your life. From now on, anything you may face that could cause you harm, I shall be there to erode it away. That is my promise to you Akihito._

As the voice inside his head dissipated, Akihito slowly opened his eye and sat up from the bed. _Now that I am back_ …those words rung over and over again in his throbbing head. Who was it? He thought. Who was willing to go through so much for him?

Just as he immersed himself in thought, the room to the door opened again and Asami entered the room, and the declaration from his hallucination was immediately forgotten – just like a dream.

“What’s wrong? Did you have another bad dream?” the older man asked softly and Akihito shook his head.

“I can’t remember…I thought I just heard something…but I can’t remember it…it’s probably nothing.” He mumbled groggily.

Asami nodded and sat down on the bed. The mattress dipped down and Akihito slid a little toward the man. “You have a fever.” Asami pointed out.

“Eh?” Akihito looked at him questioningly as he brought a hand up to touch his flushed cheeks and warm forehead. “When did I…?”

“It aroused during the night. It’s what happens when you run around outside in this cold for hours.” Asami explained as he poured a bottle of liquid medicine into the cap and offered it to Akihito. “Here, drink this. It will make you feel better.”

Akihito thanked him and downed the medicine in one go. “It tastes awful” he cringed.

Asami smiled and stroked his warm cheek. “Get some rest” he said as he got up to leave but halted when he felt a small hand fist into the back of his shirt, pulling him back.

“Don’t leave” Akihito said in a weak voice as he tried to tug Asami back onto the bed. “Stay with me.”

“Akihito” Asami turned around and took the boy’s hand off of his shirt and held it in his for a moment. “I’ll be in the other room, just call if you need me.”

“No, please stay here” Akihito begged pitifully with moist eyes. “Sleep with me until I fall asleep okay?”

Asami stared into pleading eyes. There was something unusual about Akihito. The boy surprised him when he tried to strangle him, but Asami put that quickly out of his mind. The one who attacked him wasn’t Akihito. Those eyes were dark and menacing. But what was causing this unusual behavior? The fever? Or was it the dreams? Unable to leave the boy along, Asami placed the medicine down by the nigh table and laid next to the boy and wrapped his arm protectively around Akihito.

“Is that better?” he asked, smirking at the mellowed out kitten snuggling up next to him.

“Yeah, much.” Akihito said when he suddenly noticed something odd. “What’s with those red marks on your neck? Are you bleeding?” he asked, but Asami quickly concealed it and covered Akihito’s eyes with his large hand.

“Go to sleep Akihito” he said.

Too tired and sick to think more of it, Akihito closed his eyes and buried his face deep into Asami’s chest, breathing in the older man's scent – it was rich and secure.

~~~~~

“Do you want to punish him Akihito?”

The voice echoed throughout the twilit skies, burning with a maddened red. Akihito looked up and he felt his chest clench. There was something about staring up at the sky in a quiet field alone that made him want to cry all the time. That was why he hated coming to this dream world of his. Yes, he knew it was all a dream, and yet, it all felt so real. As if his consciousness and sub consciousness intersected and became one. He was neither awake nor asleep.

“Punish who!” Akihito shouted and his own voice echoed back into his ears.

“You know who Akihito, the man who took your life away, that’s who.” The voice from the sky replied

“I don’t know who you’re talking about…and show yourself!”

“No…not yet, not until you give yourself to me” the voice of the shadow from before became louder, almost like it was right next to Akihito’s ears, except he was still alone. “And it is Asami Raiju I am speaking of. You know perfectly well he was the one who caused _our_ lives to be _shit_. I know you remember his face Akihito. You saw it once and that memory has been forever imprinted in your memories. Don’t deny it.”

Akihito lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Don’t avoid reality Akihito. You know it is him, from the moment you were first introduced to him by Takeo Isamu, you knew who he was. Why are you denying it?”

“Because there’s no proof…” Akihito said, his voice barely above a whispered.

“Don’t lie!” the voice from the sky shouted. “You know he was the one who forced your mother into that whore house and you know he was the one who dragged her out of there by the roots of her hair. Why won’t you acknowledge it?”

“Because there’s no proof…” Akihito said again. Even quieter this time.

“Bullshit Akihito, you’re afraid of him aren’t you. You’re afraid if the truth comes out, you will get thrown away, because you Akihito, fear loneliness above all else and you want love above all else.”

“I…I finally got what I wanted…this is what my mom always wanted for me too – a proper family with people who would support me and care for me. I know this is what she would have wanted for me. If she was here now, she wouldn’t want me to seek revenge…she would want me to forget my hatred and enjoy my life as it is now” Akihito shouted. “So don’t ruin it for me…please…”

“You’re a coward Akihito. So pathetic. You know it in that weak little heart of yours that you want to pick up that man’s gun and shoot him through his black heart.”

“That’s not true…” Akihito breathed.

“To even discard your poor mother just so you could give the rest of your life in sanctity?”

“No! I will never discard her! Never!”

“You’re escaping, that’s what you’re doing. Think back, what was it that you held most dear. Wasn’t it your mother? Didn’t you love your mother above everyone? Or did you replace her for your so called family?”

“She can’t be replaced. Ever.” Akihito stated firmly.

“Then confront them. Face them and take back what they have taken from you. From Takeo Isamu too. He has been deceiving you to protect his friend.”

“They’re not bad people, they’re not plotting anything. Isamu-san kept this a secret to protect me and his friend. And Asami-ojisan has changed. He’s not like that anymore.”

“Is that what you think Akihito? Do you think his “change” can excuse all of his past sins? Not everyone in this world is as good hearted as you are Akihito.”

“I’m not as good hearted as you think I am either” Akihito said, his voice now reaching a more intimidating level.

“Prove it then. Go and confront them. You deserve justice.”

Akihito clenched his fist tight as he looked down at his foot, unable to make a decision.

“…Can you really not do it…?”

Akihito lifted his head and looked up into nothing. “I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“…Because I will lose in the end. I will lose the battle and I will lose everything and I will end up back in the streets by myself. ”

“If you do not release your anger and stress, it will destroy you. This is the only way to save your mind.”

“Save my mind?” Akihito asked confusingly.

“That’s right. You’re stubbornness is harming you. Holding unresolved hatred in yourself is wearing down your psychological defenses. You are an emotionally unstable boy. Anymore and your already thinned defenses will explode throughout your entire body and destroy everything. You need to find release for your pent up hate.”

“No…no! I can’t…I just can’t...I won’t have my life thrown away again” Akihito stated firmly. "Why...why are you forcing me to do this?" 

"Because I care about you Akihito and only you. I care for your wellbeing and no one elses."

"If what you say is true then you wouldn't make do these things. I don't want to lose this family. I want to stay with them. Please don't take them away from me." Akihito begged. 

“…I am your protector Akihito. I exist only to protect you. Nothing more.”

“W-Who are you” Akihito asked.

“…I am the alter.”


	17. Unripened Fruit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable ideas, dialogue, characters etc are property of yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: unedited, oc, ooc, au, underage, fluff

**

Chapter 16 Unripened Fruit

**

Akihito groaned as the tossed back and forth in his bed trying to get some shut eye. This was his third week of no sleep. He doesn’t know if was because of the dreams or the new unfamiliar mattress and pillow that was causing his insomnia.

Akihito sighed as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. It was eleven o’clock. He has been trying to fall asleep since nine and no luck. He was seriously considering asking Asami to buy him some sleeping pills but he didn’t want to go near anything addictive ever again. Heck, he freaks out at any sorts of medication or drug presented him way.

Right now, he carved the older man’s company more than anything. He wanted to sleep in Asami’s room, on Asami’s bed, but without those secure arms around him he couldn’t lay on that large empty bed alone. Grabbing his cell phone off of his night table, Akihito dialed the first number listed in his contacts.

It rung twice before he heard Asami’s voice on the other line.

“R-Ryu-nii…when will you be home?”

Akihito heard an audible sigh on the other line.

“I already told you Akihito, I won’t be home until morning. Go to bed, it’s getting late.”

“You shouldn’t stay up so late either than. Can you please come home? Please?” his voice growing louder and louder as he became more desperate for company.

The line went silent for a moment before Asami finally replied. “I will see what I can do.” Then the line went dead.

Akihito tossed his phone back onto the night stand and rolled over onto his side. He closed his eyes but they felt dry. He groaned and grabbed his head as another migraine washed over him. Akihito hated migraines, they were terribly blinding. By the time he came back to his senses and the headache was gone, the familiar sound of keys jingled at the entrance caught his ears and Akihito sat up and immediately ran towards the door.

Asami was back early again just as he had requested. From the past few days, Akihito had Asami’s daily schedule scribbled down in his memories. The man comes back home usually at four or five in the morning; sleeps in until late noon then goes back to work. Akihito usually goes to bed at ten or eleven and wakes up early in the morning; due to his insomnia and consistent nightmares. This barely gives him an hour to spend with Asami. But the two of them have developed a nice pattern which Akihito appreciates. He would call Asami any time between eight o’clock and midnight and ask Asami to come home early. He loved how Asami can’t refuse him, especially when he gets a little desperate for affection and company.

“Welcome home” Akihito greeted with a sheepish smile. “You’re home very early today.”

He approached Asami and wrapped his arms around the older man’s neck.

Burying his face in the crock of Asami’s neck, Akihito breathed in the clean, masculine scent and sighed contently.

“Still can’t sleep?” Asami asked as he embraced the young man back. Akihito shook his head. “Did you try warm milk or bread?” Akihito  
nodded, still not letting Asami go from his arms. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know…” Akihito mumbled into Asami’s neck. “You’re very cold…”

Asami kissed him on the head and released the arm around him. “It snowed today.”

Toeing off his shoes, Asami attempted to enter his home but was stopped by a slight push backwards. He looked down at the uncomprehending but trusting young face filled with heartbreak. He brushed the boy’s rose colored cheeks with his fingers as he looked into the irresistible face. “What is it?”

“C-Can you maybe…bend down a little…?” Akihito asked.

Asami cocked an eyebrow. “Why”

Akihito visibly flinched at his response, clearly not expecting him to ask for a reason. “I…I want to kiss you…” he said shyly.

Chucking, Asami allowed certain warmth to spread though him. Never had he had a kitten so sweet and adorable. Lowering his head to Akihito’s height, he allowed the boy to approach him to place a soft, innocent kiss on his lips. He chuckled again when Akihito didn’t attempt to deepen the kiss, especially since he experienced firsthand just how aggressive the boy can be when it comes to kissing.

“Weyuu-nii…” Akihito stuck his tongue out and tried to clean it with his pajama sleeves. “You taste like tobacco. How much did you smoke today?” he complained as he wiped his tongue.

Asami chucked at the boyish reaction.

“Can you please stop smoking? It’s not good for you and I hate the smell.”

“I’ve already given up smoking in my own home because of you. Shouldn’t that be enough?” Asami teased.

“Hmph” Akihito pouted, but he soon put it behind him when he noticed the white plastic bag in Asami’s hands. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing at the package. He was all too familiar with the bag’s color and the outline of the container that is inside. “Is it sweets?” he asked excitedly as he reached for the bag, only for it to be pulled out of his reach.

“Did you finish your homework?” Asami asked with a playful glint in his eyes.

“You know, I thought living with you, I wouldn’t have to go through this like I do with Harashi-sensei.” Akihito said as he lunged for the bag of pastries, but Asami was faster.

“It’s for your own good. Even a career as a professional photographer benefit from having an education.”

“For your information, I managed to get an interview for an assistant position today. His name is Minoru Wataru. He studied under Hatakeyama-sensei. He didn’t request for any diplomas or degrees.”

“I see. Good for you” Asami praised, ruffing the teen’s hair as he walked towards the living room. He called up the Japanese photographer last week, asking him to take an assistant under his wing. With a few cheques and favors, the photographer agreed to his request.

Ever since Akihito arrived, the boy has done absolutely nothing. He didn’t even step outside. Asami was starting to worry that this self-imprisonment and isolation was deteriorating Akihito’s spirit. Akihito still smiled brightly and ran around the apartment; however, the boy’s eyes didn’t hold that same shiny luster. His hair lost some of its healthy glow, and the circles under his eyes were getting darker each day. The boy needed some sunlight and human interaction. Whatever happened the night Akihito showed up at his door and declared his desires, Asami didn’t ask, but whatever Akihito saw or heard or learned, was obviously detrimental. This Wataru specialized in landscape photography and film making. Perhaps Mother Nature’s beauty can shock some of that pent up distress out of the kid.

Taking the bag with the pastries inside, Akihito walked to the coffee table and sat it down on the couch. He then looked over at him with eyes overflowing with anticipation. “Can I open?”

Chucking at how excited the boy looked, Asami gave in and nodded. Akihito squealed and unwrapped the neatly packaged container containing his heavenly treats.

“Eat them slowly” Asami advised as he stood by the door way and watched his cream covered house guest attempting to clean up the layers of cream in the box and on his face like a kitten with its fur. Asami marvelled at the resemblance.

“That was really good, thank you.” Akihito said as he licked the last of the cream off of his fingers. Asami’s eyes narrowed as he watched the boy’s young wine colored lips wrap around those slender soft fingers and that small pink tongue darting out of its moist cavern for just a simmer of a minuet. Asami felt his blood heat up and his lower half throb with lust, but no, not yet. He can’t be the one to initiate. For the time being, all he can do is shower the child with chaste kisses and platonic embraces.

“Akihito, I can’t always come home early for your peace of mind. I have a business to run and men who relies on me.” Asami said in an attempt distract his focus.

Akihito squirmed in his seat and looked at Asami with his biggest eyes and poutiest lips. Asami arched an eye brow. “What’s with that look?”

Akihito didn’t reply and Asami walked over to the dining table where Akihito does his homework and picked up the mock exam booklets and flipped through the questions Akihito was supposed to do today. “Did you do all the questions in here?”

“I did my math, history and Japanese…but I didn’t get the science ones…” Akihito grumbled.

“Oh really? But how come there are no explanations with these answers Akihito?” he asked, then flipped to the back of the book where the answers were. “And how come your answers are identical to the ones on the back…?”

Akihito sunk into the couch and averted his eyes. “There’s only so many ways you can say one thing…” he tried to defend himself.

Shaking his head, Asami opened up his brief case and pulled out a thick stack of booklets. “Here are some of the school’s past entrance exams. I expect you to do one a day, do you understand? Tomorrow, Kirishima will come by to tutor you and I have asked for Kujo to be temporarily transferred over to my employment for you. You will listen and respect both of them. No whining, arguing or back talking of any sort.”

Stunned at Asami’s sudden show of strict authority over him, Akihito blurted “what the heck!?”

“You _will_ be good and do as you are told.” Asami said firmly. He enjoyed making Akihito happy, but that happiness shouldn’t stem from the sparing of the rod all the time. His business and his private lives are two different things and Asami had always kept the two in completely separate worlds. But recently, the boarder between the two worlds has been breached by Akihito and he needs to patch up that mistake right away and solidify these two aspects of his life once more.

Pouting, Akihito slumped into the couch and folded his arms across his chest.

“Don’t give me that look” Asami said as he looked over to the brooding boy when suddenly, he noticed a mischief twinkle in Akihito’s eyes. _How are you going to get out of this one…?_ Asami thought as he smirked to himself.

Slipping off of the couch, Akihito slowly walked over to Asami who has taken a seat at the dining table.

“Ryu-nii…” Akihito said sweetly as he slipped onto the older man’s lap. “You look tired. Are you stressed?”

Asami smirked and wrapped his arm around the teen’s lower back. “Perhaps. What are you thinking?” he asked teasingly as he’s other hand slowly slipped up Akihito’s thighs.

“No. Wait.” Akihito said in a scolding tone and pushed the approaching hand away. “You’ve always been so good to me. Let me be good to you” he said as he slowly slipped off of Asami’s lap and onto the floor until he was kneeling between the older man’s legs.

Reaching out, Akihito undid the belt that was in his way. He reached forward with his teeth and pulled down the zipper. Slipping his hand inside the Calvin Klein briefs, Akihito gently pulled out the heated semi-hard membrane and stroked it in his hands before wrapping his lips around the head and licking gently.

The boy was teasing him with his soft licks and strokes. He knew Akihito must have had some experience in this profession, but he had no idea to this extend. The boy knew how to manipulate and seduce with his expressions and techniques. It displeased him to know that Akihito wasn’t a completely blank piece of paper, but those cherry red lips, shimmering from a gloss of his pre-cum, and those big hazel eyes, occasionally glancing up at him affectionately like a sex kitten dissipated any non-satisfaction he had.

He may have been brought up in a pleasure house, but he didn’t pleasure customers as much as people think he did. He did have practice, but not before learning for the first six years. All those years, he has done nothing but observing and learning. Learning to bring out his sexuality and use it to his advantage; learning to make men and women “happy,” by manipulating them to be under their control to gain favours. The girls back at the brothel have taught him well. There were no gender exclusive bedrooms, so at night, when they were all to sleep, they would talk, and he would learn. Asami may be a powerhouse in Japan, but at home, especially in the bedroom, Asami is his.

Glancing up at Asami who was leaning back nonchalantly, Akihito lowered his head further down the throbbing organ, struggling to take in as much as he can. He looped his tongue around the base of the erection and dragged it up to the top. He flinched slightly when Asami’s hand gently fisted his hair and began to push his head up and down the length. The cock hitting the back of his throat was intense but not unpleasant.

Asami groaned as he watched the lips move up and down his erection. Leaning back further in the dining chair, he relaxed and enjoyed the moist, soft, warmth spreading over his shaft. He gently ran his hand through Akihito’s hair and closed his eyes. This kid knew how to manipulated, but that should be expected from someone brought up in a pleasure house. However, Akihito was still a little immature. He wasn’t as discrete about it as one can be, and even if the boy was a master manipulator, he wasn’t one to be controlled.

It didn’t take much longer before Akihito felt the cock in his mouth pulse and long streams of white gushed into him. He pulled his head back and coughed at the unexpected explosion. A small yelp left his lips when he was suddenly lifted off of the ground and thrown on top of the dining table, and a predatory Asami looming over him; caging him in with two thick arms clad in a pristine cotton dress shirt rolled up to the elbow.

“You’re too good at this” the older man growled with a dangerous smirk on his face as he reached into the box of pastries from earlier and pulled out a glace cherry he knew Akihito disliked and placed it on Akihito’s swollen lips. “The colors, they’re a match” Asami said, his voice low and smooth, before lowering his head to devour both the cherry and the boy’s lips.

There was a flicker of resistance when Asami tried to enter the teen’s moist warmth, but Akihito quickly reciprocates Asami’s kiss. With their tongues entwined and their faces overlapping, the two mutually surrender to pleasure as they explored each other’s textures and tastes.

Finally, Asami broke the kiss. He chuckled at the small whine that left Akihito’s lips, especially when the boy tried to reach out to him for more, but he held himself back. It is him who is in control, not someone more than a decade his junior.

The sight of a young, aroused boy, clinging and gripping to him for support, and so willing was almost enough to bring his cock back to life again, but no. Straightening his wrinkled shirt, Asami pinned the boy down to the dinner table with one hand and began to unbuttoned Akihito’s jeans with the other. Throwing the obstacles to the side, Asami ran his hands down Akihito’s hip, feeling the smooth skin.

Akihito stretched out his arms and Asami pulled the boy towards him and pressed him against his body as he gripped the weeping erection and started stroking.

Akihito moaned as he clung onto Asami, nibbling and licking at the older man’s neck, tasting the skin there as he felt the large warm hands tighten around his cock.

Asami chuckled softly, patting the boy’s head as he picked up his pace while enjoying the light kisses on his neck.

Akihito was breathless when he finally came, his hands still fisted tightly in Asami’s well-groomed suit. Giving the boy a small peck on the lips, Asami gently loosened the small hands clinging to his suit and laid Akihito back on the table.

Straightening out his clothes and tidying up his hair, Asami walked towards his bedroom. “Kirishima will be here tomorrow morning at nine. Do not make him wait” he stopped and turned.

“Wha…?” Akihito shot up from the table and looked at Asami with a puzzled expression.

“If I hear you’ve been good, I will bring back a reward” Asami smirked as he went into his room to shower again, leaving the bewildered boy on the kitchen table by himself.

Asami chuckled to himself as he began to undress. The boy may not be a complete blank page when it came to sex, but he is still a bud that is waiting to be watered and nurtured into a full grown flower, and that pleased him greatly. Akihito’s manipulation techniques via his sexuality were like torture by tickling; adorable and unripe.

Akihito may be young and shares ties with the Takeo’s, one of Japan’s powerhouses, but even the greatest man cannot resist those charms. Certainly, he can allow himself to indulge once in a while.


	18. Living with Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: viewfinder and anything recognizable is property of Yamane Ayano
> 
> Warning: oc, ooc, au, unedited

**

Chapter 17 - Living with Another

**

Walking down the dark cold corridors, Takeo Isamu found himself in knots as he approached the old, broken down apartment at the end of the hallway. The only sound that was heard was the squeaking of the floor boards and the rumpling of the plastic bag he was carrying in his hand. Anxiety was something he wasn't akin to but here it was; a heart threatening to beat its way out of his chest, and beads of sweat running down the sides of his face despite the chilling early winter air. He didn't know how to deliver the news and he didn't know what it would lead to. 

When he reached the splintering door, he knocked twice and entered without waiting for a reply.

"Isamu, is that you?" 

The voice came from the bathroom along with the squeaking sound of rusted screws being tightened. 

"Fusao” Isamu addressed the man lying shirtless under the sink fixing the leak. “I must say, you are becoming quite the handyman." 

"Well _nii-san_..." Fusao grunted as he slid out from underneath the sink and sat up. "Unlike you, I don't have anyone to help me wipe my ass, so I learned to wipe my own. Now what brings you all the way to my world of solitude?" 

Isamu smirked at his little brother's chipper attitude towards his living situation. "It’s been a while since my last visit. I figured you’ve polished off the bottle of whisky I brought last time so…” reaching into the package, Isamu pulled out a rich amber gold coloured glass bottle. “I thought I’d bring over a new bottle for you."

Wiping the grease off of his forehead, Fusao lifted a brow. "Not that I don’t appreciate it, especially since the only way for me to get alcohol is to ferment my own apples, but you drove seventeen hours to the outskirts of Japan just to bring me expansive liquor?"

"What? I can't visit my little brother?"

Fusao smirked and grabbed the bottle out of his older brother’s hand. "Well, how about wearing something a little more frugal next time? No need to rub your leather loafers and custom fitted suits in my face you son of a bitch." Fusao said jokingly. 

"Also your mother." Isamu reminded. 

"I felt bad when I said it okay?" Popping open the bottle, Fusao took a swing. "My god that burns! Ah...it's been a while since I've been able to enjoy such luxury."

"Is that your subtle way of saying I don't visit you enough?" Isamu chuckled. "I put my life on the line every time I come here."

"It's been over a decade. Are you saying that old bastard Asami is still holding a grudge?" 

"You did backstab him. Sleeping and impregnating the woman he loves."

"Loved." Fusao corrected. 

"Kasumi is still living in comfort; under Raiju's roof. If he didn't care for her, she wouldn't be living on his property."

"Under his watchful surveillance you mean. And Kasumi no longer has a family. When they exchanged her for profit, the agreement was no refunds. That dog wouldn't throw her away."

"You give Raiju too little credit. He has changed." 

"Let's take a seat and talk..." Fusao gestured towards his living room, which was also his kitchen and bedroom. 

The mattress (the only place to sit in the little room) squeaked loudly when the two men sat down. 

"Oh my, you don't even have a decent place to sleep little brother. No wonder your posture is so lacking." Isamu commented, trying to find a cozy place to park but finding it impossible.

"I'm beyond used to it by now. It's quite nice being by myself. No stress from civilization and no pressure to succeed at every turn. Reuniting with Mother Nature is peaceful. I even started my own vegetable garden."

"And you still somehow find the time to maintain tanned and ripped." Isamu commented as he patted at his brother's lean muscular body. 

"Jealous?" Fusao teased. "Is the old man slacking off?" 

"Hahaha, he's really just like you..." Isamu let slipped. 

Fusao smiled and took another swing of the bottle. "Who’s like me?" he asked. 

"I'm just saying how I should be more like you. Your positivity is really inspiring." Isamu diverted.

"Ah well it does keep the gray hairs away. Now what the hell were you talking about before?" 

“Nothing…” 

Fusao glared at his brother. “You know I hate it when you do that. Vaguely bring up a situation or information that you won’t talk about, but you know it’s going to make people go crazy for it. Now quit it with the pretense and tell me. I don’t have the energy to play verbal tag with you.”

The light demeanor visible disappeared from his elder brother's face and the air around them was replaced with a mass of nervous energy. 

"Isamu...are you...okay? You seem troubled." Fusao staggered.

"I am."

"Heh, this is a first. The head of the Takeo family is distressed. What's up? Family problems?"

"Yes, family problems. I'm haunted."

"Damnit Isamu, you know I hate it when you show off that eloquent mouth of yours in front of me.”

"Isamu chuckled. His little brother doesn’t share the same love for literary beauty as he does. In fact, all his brother liked to do was run around and cause trouble. If it weren't for their family's wealth and connections, Fusao would have never gotten accepted into school. Which is precisely why he had set aside a small amount of fortune for Akihito. 

"If you were given the chance to start over, what would you do?"

Fusao started at his brother, very confused. This was most different from their regular conversations. Usually the two of them just get drunk (well, he gets drunk, Isamu doesn’t) and blab on about absolutely nothing. Something was different. His brother was stressed about something and it wasn’t like him. "Well, I would use the inheritance I got from our old man and buy a nice little house near the waters. I'll marry Kasumi. Do some odd jobs here and there to put food on the table..."

"If that happens, I will provide for you guys too” Isamu smiled warmly and gave a few firm pats on his brother’s knee.

"Ummm…You're being awfully nice." Fusao said as he pushed the hand off of him. 

"You're my little brother, what did you expect?” Isamu pondered for a moment and decided to finally go for it. “But...I didn’t hear you mention your son in your little story." 

Fusao immediately went silent and the light demeanor he often carries around him was gone. 

"Why such a murderous expression?” Isamu lifted Fusao’s face so he could see. “You think of Kasumi all the time, but what about the boy you had with her? Don't tell me you blame that sinless little baby for your current situation."

"Of course not!" Fusao snapped, which was rare considering his brother was always so happy. "It's just…easier to think of Kasumi all the time because I know she is well and where she is. But every day I think of him, every day since Asami sentenced me to live in exile, I haven't forgotten him and don’t you think for a moment that I ever did” Fusao stated, his voice firm but shaky. “Ever since you told me Takaba Yayoi disappeared, all hope in me died."

"But not completely right? There's still a shimmer of hope left in you. I see it in those eyes of yours." 

"That woman is the only lead I have to finding my son." Fusao said.

"It still baffles me how the two of you came to such an agreement in the first place…" 

"Heh, it was by luck I found someone in her situation. She was made pregnant by a customer at her brothel but gave birth to a still born. I traded my boy for her's to save him from Asami. She was emotionally vulnerable from the death of her child and I took advantage of that. The moment I handed my son to her, she embraced him and kissed him. I knew I made the right choice in choosing her." Fusao explained.

"I think you did.” Isamu validated.

“I didn’t want to give him to her. He is _my son_. Mine and Kasumi’s. We love him and what did I do? I gave him away. I ripped him away from his mother to give to a complete stranger. I hope I burn in hell for this but I had to do it. Asami would have probably sold our boy off somewhere.”

Isamu shook his head and ruffled his brother’s hair. “He wouldn’t do that. Raiju isn’t like that at all. You’re making him sound like a monster.”

“He was just that.” Fusao snapped back. “You say he’s changed. That he’s softer and gentler now and I believe you, but did you forget what he was like before? He had _so much_ power. He can do anything he wishes, you know that…and you know what I say is true. Asami would not have let my son live a comfortable life…or let him live at all.” Fusao vented, his voice was compressed with unreleased emotions and Isamu sympathized. 

“I want to ask you something” Isamu changed the subject. “You never named my nephew. What name would you have chosen?"

"I wanted to choose a name with Kasumi. But I was banished to this little slice of heaven before any of that happened." Fusao gestured to the battered apartment around them. “And thank you. I know I don’t say it enough but I have always appreciated your acceptance of that boy as family.”

Isamu smiled. He was impressed and reassured by the amount of love Fusao still had for Kasumi and Akihito, and that was all he needed to hear. "Well, as the boy’s uncle, I think I should get a shot at a name too. How about the name Akihito?"

His brother looked at him, paused to ponder it and then nodded. "A fine name. I like it.”

"And what if I'm to tell you he's a beautiful boy who has Kasumi's large hazel eyes are your baby face?" 

Fusao gave him a “what the fuck” look. His eyes shocked opened and grew fixated on his brother as he went completely dumbfounded as the words hit him in the head and bounced off one by one. "What?" He finally managed to blurt out after his brother’s words finally sunk into his head and he rediscovered his ability to speak. 

Isamu chuckled at his brother's reaction. "I've found him, your boy. A year ago to be precise."

"You...you're not shitting me right now...?"

"No" he replied pointy. 

Fusao's jaw dropped to the floor, figuratively. Isamu can see the disbelief, the fear, the happiness, the excitement, the confusion, and the tears welling up in his brother's eye. Fifteen years ago when Akihito was born, his younger brother took the newborn from the mother and led him far away from the rage of the master Asami. He exchanged the baby along with 500,000 yen with a young prostitute’s, Takaba Yayoi's, stillborn and brought it back for Raiju to discover. Soon after, Kasumi was confined to her living quarters, his brother was banished to a little desolate country side on the outskirts of Japan, and Takaba Yayoi disappeared with baby Akihito. 

He had promised his brother he would find the baby, his nephew. It took years, searching Japan high and low, searching among the living and the dead, but he finally found the boy, who had been living under his nose the whole time. 

"H-h-h-how do you know it's him?" Fusao stammered. 

“He looks just like you.”

“T-t-t-that could be…a coincidence….!”

Isamu chucked and shook his head. "Do you remember what Kasumi did before she gave you the child?" he asked. 

Fusao went silent for a moment as he searched through his memories. "The brand.” He blurted out. “She branded him with that ring or whatever it was." 

Isamu nodded. "Akihito has it; a very evident burn scar in the shape of a circle on his lower back. He is most definitely your son and my nephew." Isamu said as he pulled out a photo taken recently of himself and Akihito, only for it to be immedatley snatched away by Fusao. His brother glossed over the photo, eyes raking over every pixel repeatedly and trying to take in all that his perceptual system allowed him to. 

"Ha" Fusao laughed, his voice shaking with what Isamu knew was unbearable joy. "So his name is Akihito? He's got such a brilliant smile. Oh and those eyes...they're just like Kasumi's...Oh my god…this is real..."

"When I first saw his face, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I thought he was you. It's unbelievable, not just the physical resemblance.” Isamu recalled the first encounter he had with Akihito. “He charged at me and snatched my wallet right out of my hands when we first met. He's just like you when you were a kid, with your petty little crimes."

"Oh my god...did he really!?" Fusao laughed. 

Isamu smiled. "He's a gorgeous boy” and his brother concurred with eager nods of the head.

"Where had he been living all this time? Was he being treated right? Is he living with you now?” Fusao bombarded his brother with questions when the initial shock finally settled down a bit. 

Isamu opened his mouth, and then closed it. This was what he feared; he couldn't bring himself to tell his younger brother what had happened to Akihito. It would break Fusao. "Yes, he's living with me. I adopted him as my son. Everyone is kind to him although Harashi has many complaints." Isamu chuckled. "The kid hates the class room."

"Haha, I hated the books too." Fusao laughed. His hands were still shaking as the fingers dug into the photo. "I can't believe it. He's real..." He clasped his hand over his eyes to hide the tears. "Heh...look at me...sobbing like you used to when we were kids. Akihito, he's not a cry baby is he?"

Isamu chuckled at that comment. He was the crier of the two of them when they were small. "Does it matter?" he smirked.

Fusao shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter. He can be the worst nightmare on Earth and I would still love him to death. Oh god, does Kasumi know about this? I...I need to see him, we need to see him. He needs to meet his parents." He said as he suddenly grabbed at his brother's arm and the beatific expression on Isamu’s face became inscrutable. 

"What is it?" Fusao asked as he felt his face drain of color. Every expression, every word coming out of his brother’s mouth, he could only relate them all back to his boy and no one else. Such a look on his brother’s face now filled him with nothing but knots of fear.

"I was afraid you'd be in a rush to meet him. Akihito still doesn't know a thing about you or Kasumi."

The hand grasping his arm tightened. "What? Why doesn't he know? You didn't tell him who his parents are? Don't tell me he still thinks Takaba Yayoi is his family? She kidnapped him! Not to mention the environment Takaba Yayoi grew up in. Her family, the Takaba's are messed up! They adopted her just to sell her for money, then they-"

"Yayoi was a wonderful mother to Akihito. It's evident by how fondly he speaks of her." Isamu interrupted. “And she didn't kidnap him, she was moved to another location. People in that line of work have no power over their lives, you know that. What was she supposed to do? Leave Akihito on the side of the road and move on with her own life?"

Fusao shut his mouth immediately at his brother's rebuke. "I-I'm sorry...I..."

"Don't apologize. You love him, and your anger is perfectly understandable." Isamu stroked his brother’s back in comfort. “But Takaba Yayoi was honestly a good women.”

"Yeah...I know...you're right. So what happened in those years he was out of our sight?” Fusao asked. “Tell me everything. I can tell you don’t want to tell me and I know I’m your younger brother, but I'm not your baby brother. There's no need to protect me, I'm an adult and he is my child."

Isamu laughed. "Akihito really is just like you. He came to my office a week ago demanding me to tell him the truth. The argument he made to get me to talk is strikingly similar to yours"

Fusao lifted a brow, flattered by the similarities, but curious for the story. "What truth?" he asked.

"He's a sharp kid. He wanted to know the real reason I adopted him and what I knew of Takaba Yayoi." 

"Does he know?"

"I'm sure he knows of Takaba Yayoi's fate now." _Which is why the kid has been living with Asami Ryuichi_ , but he left that last part out. 

"Okay, so what happened? No no no, wait, let’s go back to the beginning. How did you find him?" Fusao asked again, his eyes eager to know the truth and his heart pounding loud with anticipation. If his brother's dragging the truth for this long, it must not be pleasant. 

A loud sigh let out by Isamu filled the tensed silence. "You know Takaba Yayoi was bought by Raiju right?" Fusao nodded. "After that, Akihito lived in the brothel until he was thirteen as an errand boy."

"What happened after?" Fusao asked as he tried his best to keep his heart in his chest.

"He…he was bought by Nakada Hyashi." Isamu finally said.

"He was sold!?" Fusao shouted. 

"Keep your voice down Fusao! These walls are thin and there are ears everywhere. Don't go repeating anything I’ve said to you today. Understand?" Isamu warned in a low hushed tone.   
Fusao nodded and he continued. "Yes, he was sold. Nakada got him..." Isamu paused for a moment. This wasn't something he wanted his brother to hear, but what other choices did he have. "He got him addicted to drugs." He finished.

Fusao's eyes went wide and his face grew ghostly white. "What...?" He breathed.

"Hallucinogens, depressant, the works."

Fusao's body went limb and it slammed lifelessly against the plywood wall of his living quarters. "My god..." he covered his mouth with his hand as he tried to process the facts. He felt his chest tightened and his air way cut off at the news. He couldn’t breathe and the delusional asphyxia caused tears to slide down his cheeks.

"He's fine now. He went through a tough withdrawal, but it's over. His body is clean. He's very healthy. I promise." Isamu assured as he placed one hand on his brother's shaking knee. 

"You're not lying to me? He's okay?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Isamu smiled. 

"But how is he mentally? Is he stable? His spirit?"

“Yes, as far as I can tell, he’s fine. After the withdrawal, he recovered his mental defense fast. He’s acting like a normal teenager now; rough housing around, avoiding school, everything you did when you were that age" Isamu explained.

Fusao nodded, great happiness and relief spread across his face. "Thank you." He is grateful to his brother. From keeping their family at the top of the food chain to helping him in this private matter; he couldn’t admire and love the man enough. He knows he shouldn't ask for too much but he has been waiting and dreaming of this moment for so long. "So it's impossible for me to meet with him?" 

"Yes, it's impossible at this moment” Isamu immediately replied.

"But what about Kasumi? She can surely meet with him.”

“The two of them have met already, but I didn't tell Kasumi a thing. A hysterical woman is the last thing I need on my plate right now." 

Fusao laughed. "You should give her more credit. She wouldn't go screaming into the sky that her son is back. If they've met, then I'm sure she is onto it. A mother always knows her own child." He said. "Isamu...I…I still can't believe this. Everything is coming back together..."

Isamu smiled. "Well, don't celebrate just yet; right now, we’re still at the tip of the ice berg."

~~~~~

"...out"

Akihito fluttered his eyes open to the sound but only to see nothing but darkness stretched out in front of him. He reached around, feeling his surroundings when suddenly, his hands touched nothing and he fell flat on his head. He must have fallen asleep with Asami on his bed. 

"Ryu-nii...where are you?" He grumbled sleepily while rubbing his throbbing head. 

There was no answer and no indication that Asami was even in the room. When he finally found he lights, he turned them on and saw that he was sleeping alone on the large bed. However, the spot next to where he was sleeping was rumpled. The older man does this often. Take a call in the middle of the night and get out of bed to work.

Akihito wanted to sleep next to him. It was the only time sleep was something he was eager to do, so, whatever the older man had to do can wait. He needed Asami beside him, to hug and to comfort him.

Walking out into the hallway of the spacious penthouse, Akihito heard soft voices conversing. The voices were coming from the living room. When he got closer, he could tell one of the voices belonged to Asami. The other, he couldn't tell, but it was a woman's voice and he didn't like it. He hated the anger, the anxiety, the fear, the helplessness, the ambivalence, and the insecurity he felt when he saw Asami dawn his gentler side to someone else. Asami was his and he didn’t want to share. 

Peeking through the glass in the door, Akihito saw Asami sitting on the couch in his bathrobe. The woman's back was to him so he couldn't see her, but her raven black hair trapped the lights in the room and it shimmered back in full plume. 

For Asami to greet a woman in his bathrobe at 2 in the morning, they must be close. Akihito felt his chest being burnt by the green eyed monster and he couldn't take it anymore. He was possessive of Asami; he knows it and he doesn't care. 

Throwing the living room door open, Akihito walked over to Asami and placed himself right beside the man. He nuzzled his face against Asami's chest and breathed in. He didn't give a damn about the intimidating glare he received from Asami or the fact that he's being rude to the house guest. He was deathly afraid of losing Asami to someone else. This fear was irrational, but it was real.

"Akihito, what are you doing?" Asami finally gave up and sighed. "I have company over. Go back to bed. It’s late." 

Akihito shook his head. His hands fisted Asami's bathrobe tighter and he attempted to get even closer to the man. 

"Is this the child adopted by Takeo-san" the woman who had remained silent so far finally spoke. 

"Yes." Asami replied as he pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. 

"So his name is Akihito. I've been so curious about him. Takeo-san barely released any information to the public about him. To be so heavily protected, he must be very special."

"You could say that. But he insists on behaving like a baby bird.”

“Akihito-kun, my name is Asami Ryouko, Ryuichi’s sister. A pleasure to meet you” she said, extending out her hand in greeting, but Akihito just ignored it. Asami noted the unusual behaviour. Usually, Akihito wouldn’t miss the opportunity to learn about his life further, but the boy was completely uninterested. 

“Akihito” Asami rebuked but Akihito still remained stubbornly attached to him.

Asami narrowed his eyes at the boy in his lap. Akihito’s behaviour has been growing more and more abnormal with each passing day. The firebrand brat he first met who stole his assistant’s watch, and greeted him with stubborn mock sincerity was nowhere in sight. Instead, he has a child in his house he is babysitting. Something was wrong. One’s demons doesn’t really ever leave, so could it be that the demons in Akihito’s life come back? He didn’t know, all he knew was the cheeky cheerful boy who perked his interest was gone, and in its place was a whining little child who is always pouting and on the verge of crying. 

Finally, after seeing Asami’s unsympathetic eyes, Akihito slowly raised his head to see what the woman looked like. She was the sister of the man he was clinging onto with dear life, so it’s no surprise his behaviour was unacceptable, but all his body would tell him was to stay near Asami, to display that the man was his, and that he wasn’t going to let him get away. His eyes skimmed past her flat stomach, her slender neck, her…Akihito paused when he finally locked eyes with her. His breathing halted for a moment and the tight hands fisting Asami’s bathrobe loosened. His eyes became large and sharp as his breath hitched.

“My, Takeo-san is too selfish to keep such a cute boy hidden. I can definitely see him as the next face for Uniqlo.” The woman commented but Akihito didn’t hear any of it. Slowly, he released the hold he had on Asami's bathrob and grasped onto his own pajama shirt and started twisting and playing with the fabric like a nervous child. 

“Mama…?” he finally said in a ghastly whisper.


	19. Little Big Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer recognizable characters and ideas are property of yamane ayano
> 
> Warning AU, OOC, OC unedited
> 
> As always, thanks so much for reading and all the kind words :D

**

Chapter 18 Little Big Boy

**

“Ryouko” Asami stood up and ushered his sister towards the door. “It’s best you leave.”

“Ryuichi, what’s going on?” his sister asked as she tried to fight against the hand that was pushing her out the door. “Did you tell that boy I am his mother?”

“I will have Kirishima see you home safely” Asami replied. And just as Ryouko was about to leave, she felt something pull on her coat, holding her back.

“No mama, don’t leave” Akihito pleaded with large eyes and in a pre-pubertal tone. His hands were fisted tightly in her minx coat to prevent her from disappearing from his sight. “Please don’t go, please don’t leave me.”

Asami Ryouko was at a complete loss for words as she looked back and forth between Akihito and Asami in confusion. The shattering sad look on Akihito’s face was too much for any human to bear. “R-Ryuichi…?” she stumbled over her words. She wanted so much to scoop the boy up and cuddle him and tell him, she wasn’t going anywhere, but she wasn’t his “mother.”

“Akihito, she has to go” Asami explained. He reached for the boy, but Akihito collapsed to the floor, trying to use gravity to his advantage, but he was easily plucked off of the hardwood floor by Asami and placed behind the older man.

“No!” he cried out and reached for Ryouko, but Asami’s large hand on his shoulder held him back while he watched her quickly take her leave. With no one else in the room, Akihito turned to face Asami with his saddened face. “Bring her back…” he begged; his voice broken as he tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill out. When Asami didn’t respond, he broke out into light sobs, “why is she always gone…bring her back….” he whined pitifully.

“Akihito…” Asami finally spoke. The boy sniffled and wiped the tears away, not responding to Asami’s call of his name. “Akihito…?” Asami tried again, and the boy still refused to respond so he opted for another question he was hesitant to ask. “…Are you Akihito…?” The boy finally looked up at him with watery eyes and shook his head. “No…I’m Chibi-chan, mama calls me Chibi-chan…” he responded between hics.

Asami was slightly taken aback, but he wasn’t one to give away his emotions so easily. “All right…Chibi…-chan, how old are you?”

With the hand that wasn’t cleaning up tears and snot, Akihito held up four fingers for Asami to see. “I’m four, but I’m going to be five soon…” Asami sucked in a sharp breath. He wasn’t expecting this at all.

Dissociative identity disorder, something any psychiatrist would love to get their hands on, but unfortunately, is rarely seen; however, he shouldn’t jump to conclusions, that would be rash of him, and that was something he never allowed himself to be. But no other conclusions could explain this “Chibi-chan” that was in front of him right now.

“Ryuu-nii, when is mama going to come back?” Akihito asked in such painful innocence that it even touched his heart.

“Akihito” Asami began, but a look so broken and sad from the boy immediately prompted him to correct his speech. “Chibi-chan, where is Akihito?” The boy shrugged, his attention all too taken by the door Asami Ryouko left through. “Do you know Akihito?” Asami tried again and this time, he got a more solid response from the boy who shook his head left to right.

“Ryuu-nii, mama –“ Akihito started again, but Asami quickly cut him off.

“And who is your mother?” Asami asked.

“Mama…” Akihito responded.

“Yes” Asami said. “What is your mother’s name?”

“Mama” Akihito said again and Asami was at a loss. Like any small children, they still haven’t learnt the existence of their parents’ names, so Asami tried again, rewording his question.

“You call your mother mama, but what do other people call her? Do they call her by a different name, maybe Yayoi? Or Takaba?” and to his satisfaction, Akihito nodded. Taking Akihito’s hand, Asami led the boy out of the living room and down the hall to his study. 

Between the thick books aligned neatly on the shelves, he pulled out a photo that was trapped between two books and showed it to Akihito. The boy’s eyes and face immediately lite up at sight of the person in the photo. “Mama!” he shouted excitedly.

“Yes, this is the woman who raised you” Asami agreed. “What happened to her?”

“She went away” Akihito answered.

“The woman who just left isn’t your mother, she is my sister” Asami said, stating the harsh truth to the four year old Akihito as he put the picture back between the books. “Why did you think she was your mother?”

“She’s not mama…?” Akihito asked as tears began welling up once more.

“No she’s not, tell me why did you think she was your mother?”

“She looked like her…” Akihito sobbed lightly. “My mama has black hair and red lips…so that’s my mama…”

The back hair and the classic red lips was something characteristic of Takaba Yayoi, and it was a look his sister liked too. A child’s ability to distinguish specific features is known to be poor. The iconic jet black hair and red lips were broadly distinguishable. It’s possible that that’s all Akihito remembers of his mother at this age. So does that mean any woman who wears red lipstick and has long black hair would be the trigger to bring this four year old out?

Lost in thought, Asami was brought back by the sound of Akihito’s childish voice. “Ryuu-nii…please get mama to come back…” Akihito pleaded once again as he rubbed his tired eyes.

Asami sighed. He didn’t know what to do; child rearing was something outside his area of expertise.

“Ryuu-nii….” Akihito mumbled sleepily as he head nodded off. If Akihito really was four years old like he claims to be, then it’s no surprise he’s falling asleep at three in the morning.

“Akihito?” Asami said, but the boy didn’t respond to that name. Instead, Akihito look dazed, as if he was in a hypnotic trance.

The practice of clinical psychology wasn’t his forte, but what he is seeing here is clearly a second personality. Like the myth that walking up sleep walkers were dangerous, Asami didn’t know if it is dangerous to force this new Akihito in anyway. With great reluctance, he called the alter by its name, hoping he can get him to bed so he can go and make some inquiries. “Chibi-chan…”

Instead of being met with the reluctance to go to bed and asking for “mama” once more, the once sleepy Akihito suddenly sported wide eyes that were filled with disbelief and amusement, clearly speaking for his confusion and shock.

“Chibi-chan!!!” Akihito suddenly scoffed loudly. “Did you just call me Chibi-chan Asami!?” he asked before bursting into laughter.  
“Akihito?” Asami approached, but the boy just continued to laugh at him.

“Chibi-chan!?” he gasped out between laughter. “Oh god, I can’t believe it. Is that your nickname for me or something? How cute “Ryuu-chan”!” he mocked.

“Akihito.” Asami narrowed his eyes in warning and this got Akihito’s attention.

Still chuckling a little, Akihito wiped the tears away with his finger and finally noticed his surroundings. “Eh…? Where am I?”

“You’re in my study.” Asami answered.

“Oh man, was I sleep walking again…?”

Asami narrowed his eyes. The boy doesn’t remember a thing.

“Sorry Asami, where you working?”

Now that caught his attention. _Asami, not Ryu-nii._

“You don’t have to look so angry” Akihito said when Asami’s hardened stare didn’t soften. “I’m sorry for disturbing you okay? Where you working on something illegal? Look, I sleep walk a lot but rest assured, I don’t have any memory of what I do when I walk around unconscious okay? All your little secrets are safe.”

“You sleep walk often?” Asami asked.

Akihito shrugged. “Yeah well, there’s lots of instances where I wake up and have no idea how I ended up there.”

“Follow me” Asami said and walked out of the study. Confused and tired, Akihito followed after the man.

“What is it Asami? Just tell me, no need to be so serious.” But his question was met with silence. When they returned to the living room, Asami motioned for Akihito to sit down one the couch across from him.

“Asami…?” Akihito approached carefully. Guessing the man didn’t appreciate being laughed at, but he never thought he would live to hear Asami say something so cute. But Asami’s silence was scaring him a little. “I’m sorry I laughed at you, but you gotta admit, “Chibi-chan” coming from you is dead on hysterical!” Akihito laughed a little but when Asami just continued to remain silent and stare intimidating at him, he shut his mouth. “Are you mad because I’m a bother? You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll call Kujo and ask for him to take me home ok? You don’t have to worry about babysitting me anymore. Frankly, I don’t even know why I came to you in the first place…”

What was going on? In all his life, he has never met with a situation that he could not comprehend and was so out of his hands, “what happened before you came here?” he asked, leaning in slightly.

Akihito shrugged again. “Umm, Isamu-san gave me an address and I saw myself going there…and I talked to an old man…and then I saw myself coming here…” he recalled from his broken memories.

“You saw yourself?” Asami asked, unclear as what Akihito had meant, but it sounded like the boy viewed himself outside of his body. Often, when it was necessary to use torture to extract important information from a man, Asami had often witness acts of derealisation and depersonalization, but could the same apply to the boy?

“Yeah I guess. That’s what it feels like anyways. It was like, I had this huge compulsion to go somewhere and I can’t control it really, and I just end up here. It’s just instincts.”

The boy doesn’t know a thing. That’s the only conclusion he could draw. So was it this “Chibi-chan” that had been doing all of Akihito’s actions these past few months. Was it “Chibi-chan” who asked Takeo for the truth on Takaba Yayoi? Or was the truth what brought this alter out? And from Akihito’s explanation, it sounded like he had no recollection of asking for the truth, instead, his mind automatically filled in the empty gaps.

“What did you and this man you met with talk about?” Asami asked.

Akihito was becoming a little irritated with all the questions. “I don’t remember. I was cold, really cold and he invited me inside his home. He told me to pursue my passions, not that I needed him to tell me to do that.”

“And what are your passions?” Asami asked.

Akihito was finding this interrogation to be highly awkward, but Asami doesn’t seem like he was going to let him go anytime soon. “To see this world through lenses which tells no lies?”

Asami lifted a brow. “That’s quite the eloquent way of putting it. I see Takeo has influenced you.”

“He always talks in poems and riddles. It’s annoying but it does get the brain thinking.” Akihito pointed out.

According to Takeo, Akihito should have gotten the truth from the old man he met. The truth on Takaba Yayoi’s death and also Akihito should have learned about the death of her child, Takaba Akihito. However, the Akihito in front of him doesn’t seem to recall a single thing. Is it because the four year old personality is one who learnt of the news so only the four year old knew of it? But based on Akihito’s answers, it sounded like he was somewhat conscious during the time his alter was dominating him. It would be irresponsible of him to conclude that this “Chibi-chan” was slowly emerging these past few months, slowly taking over Akihito’s consciousness, but he could arrive at no other conclusions. 

“Do you recall anything after you met my sister?” Asami continued his questions.

Akihito sat up and looked at Asami confusingly. “Sister? Your sister came over? When?”

Narrowing his eyes, Asami studied the reactions on Akihito’s face. It was too real to be fake. “She left not fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh well, I must have been sleep walking. Not to mention I’ve been suffering this migraine for the past few days…”

“Migraine?”

“Yeah, they can be terribly blinding. I’m sorry if I did anything to offend her” Akihito apologized.

“It’s fine. Why didn’t you tell me you were suffering a migraine?”

Growing slightly uncomfortable with the relentless probing, “well, I didn’t want to be a bother. I mean, I can take care of myself, I don’t need to be baby sat and treated like a patient.”

“Akihito” Asami said as he reached for a pack of cigarettes resting on the coffee table. He lit it up and took a puff, allowing the nicotine to course through his body. “From what you’ve told me, Takeo gave you an address for you to go to and you felt an incomprehensible urge to go. Then you felt the compulsion to come to Shinjuku overnight and stay in my home. And ever since you’ve arrived, you’ve been suffering this blinding migraine. And you sleep walk. Does that sum it up?”

Akihito shrugged. “Yeah I guess.”

“Does any of that seem consistent or reasonable to you?”

“Not really…but it’s what happened.”

“So you see it as reasonable acts, even though it is not?” Asami clarified and Akihito nodded. The boy’s psyche is filling in the gaps and tricking Akihito’s mind. “That’s enough. It’s late. Go back to bed.”

“Okay…” Akihito said. “Good night, and thanks for letting me stay here, I’ll head home tomorrow so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“You’ll have to stay the weekend. Isamu is taking care of business and he requested for you to be away from the main house during this time.” Asami informed him.

Akihito paused in his track and looked over at Asami. He wanted to ask what business his guardian was taking care of, but stopped himself. The man isn’t likely to tell him. “Okay, g’night” Akihito said and Asami watched as the boy made his way to the guest bedroom, and not his.

Thinking back to when exactly did this abnormal behaviour arise, Disneyland immediately popped up into his mind. Or perhaps it was even before that. During the time of Akihito’s commencement party, when the boy’s confidence was low, he displayed childlike behaviour. Was the alter already forming then? This regression in behaviour is equivalent to safety seeking. He wasn’t sure, but maybe Akihito was mentally seeking back to a period of safety and this desire manifested itself into an alter named “Chibi-chan.”

But this was indeed interesting. Akihito had absolutely no mental representation of reason. Just like a habit. 

Taking one last puff of his Dunhill’s, Asami got up and made for bed. He was rather annoyed with Takeo for pulled him into his family matter. That man may wear a happy demeanor everywhere he goes, but Takeo Isamu is a master manipulator and it seems that even he has been pulled into that man’s schemes.

~~~~~

“Rai, you wanted to see me?” Isamu said as he stepped into Raiju’s study. He knew what the man wanted, he prepared himself, but every single time, he was met with a turning feeling in his guts. He hated talking about it, but it was something he had to do.

Letting out a puff of smoke from his cigar, Raiju turned to look at his old time friend and offered him a cabana cigar and Isamu happily accepted. He could use it to help him cope with what’s to come. “I hear you went to visit your brother. Again.” he said calmly, which was what scared Isamu the most, he knew behind that calm was a storm ready to blow him away.

“Yes I did” he responded honestly. “He is my brother and it has been a while since we’ve last seen each other, I wanted to see how he was doing.”

Raiju nodded in understanding as he took another whiff of his cigar and sighed. “And how is Fusao doing?”

He was rather taken aback by Raiju’s question. It almost sounded sincere, but he wasn’t born yesterday, he knew better than to take Raiju’s words at face value. “He’s doing fine. Same old. He’s healthy, that’s a relief. He’s becoming quite the handy man.”

“Mm” Raiju replied curtly and remained silent, staring out through his study window. Curious, Isamu walked over and stood next to the elder man to see what he was looking at. His heart nearly leaped out of his throat when he saw Asami Kasumi walking through the grounds, treading on the thin layer of snow winter has brought upon the now dead vegetation. For a brief moment, Kasumi’s eyes locked on with theirs and Isamu froze, out of fear for Raiju’s response. It has been over a decade since the two past lovers locked eyes with one another, and he didn’t know what to expect. Raiju did not take betrayal lightly, and the betrayal this woman and his brother displayed was a stab at his pride. But for the two of them to still be alive, says something about Raiju, and he was counting on this merciful side of the man to bring unity back once again.

Slightly extending his hand outward and a slow bow of the head, Raiju greeted the woman like he would do any lady he meets, just a simple body gesture, showing he acknowledged her presence. And as social conventions dictates, Kasumi lowered her head back in greeting, acknowledging the man’s presence before continuing on with her walk.

“You greeted her…” Isamu finally said after Kasumi broke the visual contact, but Raiju didn’t reply. “Rai…it’s been nearly two decades. Will you still not forgive Fusao and allow his return?”

Isamu felt his stomach in knots when Raiju remained silent. When he finally replied, he felt the cold beads of sweat run down his skin. “Why should I? He slept with my wife and impregnated her. Humph, not that that wretch could do any good, giving him a dead son. ”

_He’s talking about Yayoi’s baby who died of congenital heart failure…_ Isamu thought to himself.

During Kasumi’s and Raiju’s time together, Kasumi couldn’t give him any children, but a few nights with Fusao, the womb which should have been occupied with Raiju’s blood and flesh, was dominated with the living heartbeat of Fusao’s. Any red blooded male would feel his pride being trampled on and a man’s pride wasn’t something so easily repaired with time. “Rai, please forgive me if what I say angers you, but…he slept with the wife you set aside.”

“It’s insufferable arrogance!” Raiju slammed his hand down onto his desk and shouted. His voice so deep and loud it resonated throughout the room, rattling the glass and tables. “What did he expect?”

Isamu let out a tired breath and continued despite the eminent danger of the man’s anger. “Fusao is your friend. He was your partner in every endeavor. Ever since you banished him, I have not seen you take any time off to enjoy yourself. The two of you used to hunt, gamble, and compete at every turn…now all you do is meetings and negotiations. Your edges have become quite dull if I dare say.” Isamu said. “Fusao was tempted by the weakness of men. He like any man fell for the charms of beauty. You know what that is like.”

Taking a final whiff of his cigar, Raiju sighed and stubbed out the bud. “Is he sorry?”

Isamu let out a shaky sigh. He didn't know what to say.

“When you went to visit him, did you bring up this topic of conversation with your brother?” Raiju asked angrily. The man was clearly crossed and he made no attempts to hide it.

“Every time I see him…” Isamu replied.

“And?” Raiju asked again. “Is he sorry for what he did? Does he repent it? Tell me, does he _beg_ for my forgiveness?” he demanded, slamming his hand down on his desk angrily once more.

Looking away from Raiju’s burning amber orbs, Isamu let out a shaky quiet breath. “You know Fusao” he replied ambiguously.

Raiju smirked, but it was empty and cynical. “You mean he does not. That damn fool is as stubborn as always. Nearly twenty years in exile and his eyes still burn with such determination and stubbornness. Incredible.” He marvelled.

“Indeed” Isamu replied. He didn’t know what else to say. His brother has always been as stubborn as an ox, and has skin just as thick too. And both unfortunately and fortunately, Akihito seemed to have inherited this trait.

Grabbing the canter of whiskey off to the side, Raiju poured himself a snot and took it all in one go before slamming the glass back down onto the table. “Next time you go see him, tell him this. If he wishes to come back and let bygones be bygones, he is to crawl on his hands and knees and beg for my forgiveness.”


	20. Living with Another Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable characters and ideas are property of yamane ayano
> 
> Warning: oc, ooc, au, unedited
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and for all the support :D

**

Chapter 19 Living with Another Part 2

**

Akihito groaned and dove under the covers when the blinds were forcefully drawn up and the harsh rays of sunlight hit his face. He didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning no thanks to Asami’s sudden urge to converse with him last night.

“Akihito-kun, I’m sure Asami-sama has informed you of today’s schedule” Kirishima’s irksome voice buzzed against his eardrums.

“Please shut up…" Akihito begged rudely. "Your boss kept me up all night last night so let me sleep a little longer, and no, he informed me of no such thing” he barked back sleepily.

“Impossible. Asami-sama does not forget.” Kirishima argued back, his tone leaving no room for argument as he defended his employer.

“Fine, I forgot okay? Just leave me alone” Akihito said annoyingly. But in truth, he had no idea what the assistant was talking about. He barely talked to Asami during his stay with the man; he’s been sleeping off his migraine this whole time.

“I cannot. Asami-sama ordered me to tutor you on your school work, as I’m sure Takeo-sama would appreciate too.”

“I don’t need a tutor. I’ve been practicing with Kou and Takato for the entrance exam so I’m good but thank you anyways.” Akihito said forcefully and annoyingly.

“That won’t do.” Kirishima, finally tired of arguing back and forth, reached for the comforter and yanked it off of Akihito.

“HEY!” Akihito shouted and jumped up to snatch it back, but the secretary held if far from his reach.

“I have made breakfast. Please wash up and eat. We will get started right away.” Kirishima said as he began folding the comforter.

“What the hell did I ever do to you…” Akihito grumbled angrily as he got out of bed and made for the bathroom. When the boy was out of hearing distance, Kirishima began to make the bed, somewhat irritated himself. “Well for starters, I don’t have a foreskin anymore thanks to you” the assistant muttered.

Kirishima was still busy cleaning the room when Akihito exited out of the bathroom, refreshed. Heading over to the kitchen, he saw his breakfast laid out neatly on the dining table: rice, miso soup, broiled fish, tofu and tamagoyaki. Very traditional, he thought as he sat down and began to eat. It was good. Now he feels guilty for giving the man such a hard time. When Kirishima entered, Akihito apologized and the expression on the man’s face was of surprise, but he accepted it and the tension between the two of them thinned out a little.

“These are the mock exams I have procured for you.” Kirishima said after the last of the dishes were put away.

“Asami asked you to?”

“No, Takeo-sama asked me to. I was told your studies aren’t progressing and he fears you will not get accepted into the high school you want.” Kirishima explained.

“What are you talking about? I got nearly 90% on all the practice tests I did with my friends.”

Kirishima lifted a brow then pulled out the exams Akihito did yesterday to show the boy. “These would say otherwise.”

Akihito looked through them and then pushed them back to Kirishima. “I didn’t do these ones. That’s not my handwriting.”

Taking the booklets back, Kirishima give Akihito a look of great confusion. Impossible, he thought, these exams were written by the teen, his boss gave them to him for reference. Not wanting to waste any more precious time, Kirishima pushed the thought to the back of his mind. “All right, let’s forget about that. We’ll start with this one.” He said as he placed a new exam set in front of Akihito. “First section is math. Flip to page one and we’ll go through the questions together.”

Opening the booklet, Akihito grabbed the pencil and started doing the first question while the secretary was getting ready.

“First question, prove that the equation 2x-1-sinx=0 has exactly one real root. So to do this question, you must have an understanding of the Intermediate Value Theorem” Kirishima began to explain but was quickly interrupted.

“Done!” Akihito shouted and threw the pencil down. 

Kirishima was taken aback. He pulled Akihito’s exam towards him and reviewed it. The boy’s answer was immaculate, a perfect description of Rolle’s Theorem and the Intermediate Value Theorem in his answer. According to his boss, the kid thought roots were short for root beer the soda drink. Even Harashi exasperatedly commented on the boy’s poor academic performance. And yet here it is the proof that contradicted all their claims. Akihito said he scored near perfect while practicing with his friends. Was the kid just pulling all their legs?

“All right then. Let us move on to another question.” Unconvinced that his superiors were losing their minds, Kirishima cleared his throat when he found a hard question for the brat to do. “A mean traffic density of 68.6 cars per mile with standard deviation of 27.07 cars per mile, plus an overall car average speed of 26.38 mph with a standard deviation of 9.68mph. The regression line for this data is speed=50.55-0.352 density. What is the value of the correlation coefficient between speed and density?”

Kirishima watched keenly as Akihito began to scribble down the X, Y and the slope, quickly coming up with the r value. “Done!” the boy shouted again. Kirishima was quite amazed. His expectations for the boy were very low considering all the poor things he was told about Akihito’s academic performance. Closing his booklet, Kirishima set it aside and shifted his attention fully onto Akihito.

“Are you purposely wasting Harashi, Asami-sama’s and Takeo-sama’s time?” he asked

Akihito was taken slight aback by that. “Excuse me?”

“You’re clearly up to standards, but Takeo-sama and your Harashi-sensei have complained more than once about your academic standings. Not to mention the money Takeo-sama puts in for you to get a good education. Now even Asami-sama is being pulled into this concern for your education.”

“What are you talking about…?” Akihito asked, very confused at this point. “I’ve always understood this. My friends and I often get together to help each other study. With their help and Harashi-sensei’s, I’ve easily caught up…”

“Then why do you do so poorly? And why do I hear of your tendency to hide and run when it is time for your lecture with Harashi-san?”

Akihito felt a little intimidated. The secretary clearly thinks he’s been purposely making fools out of his guardian and his teacher, but he hasn’t, and he wanted the man to know that. He wasn’t a brat. He knew that in order to achieve his dreams of becoming a professional photographer, he would need to perform well in school. “Okay, I admit sometimes I like to skip class, not to mention the language homework Harashi-sensei assigns to me are bothersome. He expects like ten page long essays, single spaced! Not to mention how strict he is with my handwriting. If I write even a little out of the lines, he’ll tear up my homework” Akihito ranted. “I know that he’s doing is good for me and I appreciate it, but come on, if you saw your hard work being torn into pieces right in front of you, you’d get pretty pissed too. So once in a while, I mess with him and write something stupid that references to him…it’s just a little fun and de-stressor, but they all still met expectations.”

Now that the kid mentioned it, the handwriting was exceedingly pristine. Harashi’s strictness for perfect handwriting is legendary. In fact, the man trained his boss in penmanship. And might he add that Asami-sama’s handwriting is like that of a well-oiled type writer.

Looking back at the exam booklets the boy wrote the day before, the writings were scribbled all over the place, and it was comparable to that of a first grader. Nothing like the one he is seeing now. The thought that Akihito might have disguised his handwriting as a joke crossed his mind, but the scribbles of a six year old had no matching characteristics to the flawless writing the kid had displayed just now. He sees faked penmanship every day. Constantly, people under Asami’s employ and those associated with him try to squander whatever money they can with fake documents, and signatures, but none can escape his keen eyes. If one is faking their writing, the stops and starts of each letter formation will show hesitation; a person’s natural hand has a smooth flow to it. The two samples of writing before him were definitely written by two different hands.

But he still wasn’t convinced; he can’t be convinced however real the boy’s acting was. If he were, that would be the same as acknowledging the dulling minds of his superiors. After all, lying and stealing is exactly normal for a boy Akihito’s age. He’d be damned if he got pulled into this boy’s antics.

Recalling an essay the boy wrote about a month ago that Takeo sent to him because the man thought it was “hilarious,” Kirishima pulled his phone out and scrolled through his emails until he found attached document. “And this essay Akihito-kun?” he showed Akihito the essay. “Harashi-sensei assigned you to write an essay on the political views between the Edo period and the Meiji period, you wrote about a dogs’ fight on the streets. How does this “meet expectations”?” he asked and then proceeded to read the first line. “The political views during these two ancient eras are much like two dogs fighting over a bone. The first dog usually sits in front his owner’s door, minding his own business, chewing away at a bone. Later –“

A sly smile slipped across Akihito’s face that didn’t go unnoticed by Kirishima. _I knew it_ the secretary thought. It angered him to know that the man he looks up to, the scholar he respected and his boss who has his eternal loyalty are all being played with by this brat.

“Later, another dog would come along, and the two of them began to smash each other’s brains out over the bone!” Akihito finished excitedly, snickering. “One of my finest works” he said proudly.

“Finest?” Kirishima asked, his brows furrowed in irritation. Pushing his glasses up and he prepared himself to lecture the brat, but before he knew it, Akihito was inches away from his face. How the boy was able to move so fast, he had no idea.

“Kirishima-san, I haven’t seen you in such a long time. Why didn’t you come to see me? Don’t tell me you’re still angry about the circumcision?” he asked seductively.

“Showing your true colors Akihito-kun?” Kirishima questioned as he took a step back to gain some distance between them, but the boy followed him closely.

Suddenly throwing his arms around the secretary, Akihito chucked at the shocked expression on Kirishima’s face. He attempted to pull away, but the boy was surprisingly strong. He shouldn’t have let his guard down when the kid apologized for giving him a hard time this morning, he should have seen through the act, however real it may have seemed.

“Hehe” Akihito giggled. “Didn’t you miss me Kirishima-san? I missed you.”

“Takaba Akihito!” Kirishima scold, but it only seemed to tighten the boy’s hold on him.

“It’s _Takeo Akihito-sama_ , Kirishima-san. If Isamu-san heard you call me Takaba, he’ll scold you for sure. He would be so angry to know that one of his trusted colleagues doesn’t acknowledge me” Akihito said in a mocking tone. The mention of this reality seemed to have frozen the secretary in his moment of struggle, and it made Akihito laugh. “Did you think I was serious? Don’t worry; I’m not a tattle tale. I could care less if I’m Takeo or Takaba.”

Kirishima narrowed his eyes and a shot of anger flashed across them. “Are you unappreciative of Takeo-sama’s generosity of bringing you into his home?” he asked, grabbing the two arms locked around his neck.

Completely unfazed by the man’s growing rage, Akihito just snickered and rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“You!” Kirishima berated. He yanked the boy off of him and just as he was about to drive a lesson of respect into the boy, he was rudely interrupted once again, but this time, not but words, but by a soft moist tongue slipping into his mouth.

He tried to push Akihito off of him but the boy bite down on his tongue hard, but teasingly. He grimaced at the pain, but Akihito was relentless. The boy was a complete wild child. Kirishima attempted to stop Akihito from further exploring his cavern, but the boy was good. Too good. The skills and expertise put into kiss was exotic and erotic and Kirishima found it hard to pull away. Not even Takeo was this good.

Just when he was about to finally give in to the temptation, he was snapped out of it when he felt a small hand over his erection. Frantically, he shoved the boy off and Akihito slammed into the edge of the dinner table, laughing. “Bet you dream of Isamu-san doing that to you every night!”

Kirishima tasted blood in his mouth, and he was disgusted, not by what Akihito did, but by his own weakness. He actually willingly, even if it was just a slipper of a second, let his guard down and allowed a ruthless wild child to get within his personal boundaries. But what horrified him the most was his body’s reaction. He was seduced by a child and he almost gave in.

“I swear, Akihito doesn’t have any sense of fashion. He’s always dressed like a slob.” The boy commented on the pajamas he was dressed in. “Hey, I’m gonna go get some new clothes okay? And I’ll probably be out late tonight. It’s my first time in Shinjuku and I wanna have some fun. Don’t even think about stopping me. Ooh, and tell Ryuichi don’t wait up okay? Ciao!” Akihito said teasingly as he threw the dishevelled secretary a playful wink.

~~~~~

“Chibi-chan?” Isamu looked at Asami with laughing eyes. “Well that certainly is a cute nickname you’ve given Akihito, I never thought you would come up with something so cute Ryuichi” he said chuckling, but one annoyed glare from Asami shut him right up. “Ok I’m sorry, calm down. So Akihito suddenly became a four year old child who calls himself Chibi-chan. This happened when he saw your sister, who has long black hair and wore red lips stick like his mother Takaba Yayoi, which you believe is a trigger for bring this personality out. Oh, and this Chibi-chan has no idea who Akihito is. Does that sum it up?”

“Mm” Asami agreed as he took a sip of his coffee. “How does he act around you or others in his life?”

“Akihito acts normally around me, he can be a little childish at times, but most of the time, he’s looking to bounce around Yokohama with his friends, causing mischief everywhere, getting fake IDs, lying and stealing, etcetera Why? Is he different when you’re around?” Isamu asked as he sipped his latte. After the intense session with Asami Raiju, Isamu wanted nothing more than to come pick Akihito up and take the boy out on a day of fun; roller coasters, cotton candies, the works. But his plan shattered when the younger Asami dragged him away immediately.

“He acts like a child when he is around me” Asami explained. “Rather than growing up, he seems to be regressing.”

Completely perplexed, Isamu let out a stressed groan. “Well, now that you mention it, he does seem to regress more at the mention of your name. Maybe he feels safe around you? Regression of mental age is a safety seeking behaviour.”

“It’s not just about a regression of mental age anymore; he had a completely new personality emerge. This alter seemed to have started emerging ever since his first visited my office.”

Relaxing into his chair, Isamu nodded in understanding. “And you mentioned when Chibi-chan fell asleep, Akihito re-emerged?”

“He has no recollection of asking you about Takaba Yayoi, he doesn’t remember talking to Takaba Yayaoi’s older brother and lover, and he doesn’t remember the days he’s spent in my home.”

“So during these past few days, Akihito has been trying whatever he can to get closer to you, but you think that was actually the actions of Chibi-chan because when Akihito re-emerged, he said for the past few days, he’s been sleeping off a migraine?”

“From the time I took Akihito to Disneyland, I never saw the fiery stubborn brat I was first introduced to again. I speculate that ever since then, this alter has been forming slowly and dictating some parts of his life.”

“That sounds plausible. You said Akihito had some conscious awareness of his actions, but they were fragmented, so Akihito’s migraine could be when Chibi-chan fully took over.”

Placing his coffee down on the table, “What was Takaba Yayoi’s nickname for her son?” Asami asked.

The sudden realization sprawled across Isamu’s face cleared his suspicions. “She called him Chibi-chan, because she was surprised at how small babies actually were, and she continued calling him that because Akihito wouldn’t grow. His physical development lagged in comparison to other children his age.”

“I see, so it’s safe to say this alter is frozen at a time before Takaba Yayoi was taken away.” Asami concluded, but Isamu disagreed.

“That doesn’t seem right. You said Chibi-chan begged you to get his mama back, from that, it’s most likely Yayoi was already taken away, and this personality is forced because of Akihito’s regret for not being able to make his mother stay” Isamu proposed.  
“It’s likely.”

“We won’t know for sure unless we probe a little further, but I fear that we can’t do that without inducing further trauma to his psyche. But what has me curious is, is Chibi-chan a new existence or a re-emergence? Was this altered suppressed because of his forced substance abused past? Or like you have suggested, Chibi-chan manifest during the process of Akihito’s internal coping of the loss for his mother?” Isamu wondered. “The boy didn’t really have a chance to grieve over the loss of his mother. Working in a house of prostitution, being sold, forced to take substances, and undergoing withdrawal. Under all these circumstances, the boy really wasn’t given an opportunity to grieve. But now everything is different for him. His life is so much cleaner, so it’s possible he’s finally catching up to the realization that his mother is gone and is using this time to finally grieve over her. And re-living some of the past likely created Chibi-chan.”

“On the other hand, losing his mother is clearly a very traumatic event. It’s also possible this alter formed at the time Takaba Yayoi disappeared from his life” Asami added.

“Yeah…” Isamu agreed. “Damn, we’re gonna need to bring a psychiatrist into this. But we need a pariah.”

“I should mention one other thing” Asami began. “The alter addresses me as “Ryuu-nii.” Akihito on the other hand addresses me as “Asami.””

“Oh” Isamu nodded. “That’s quite interesting.” He can see that the younger Asami wasn’t pleased being drawn into this, the young man is much in demand. To have established a successful business both on the surface and in the underworld; bending people to his will with his skills, talent and his cold, beautiful appearance. Being forced to play a part in his family’s problem is like asking the young Asami to clean up his father’s mess. Isamu understood Asami’s irritation, but he needed the man. “I’m sorry for dragging you in this Ryuichi, but I really appre—“

“Don’t” Asami cut him off. “You’ve already spent this much dedication and time into manipulating me into your plans, I might as well see this through to the very end. But you are quite unpleasant Takeo.”

Isamu chucked. “I could say the same to you. We have to be unpleasant in this business, if we weren’t, we would never survive.”

Sitting in front of him was a cunning and cynical man who has a big heart when it comes to family and friends.

Even though he is organized in Takeo’s friend category, he still needed to tread carefully around the man. It is a risky situation he’s put himself in, that risk being Takeo, and not so much his father. But it is not without benefits.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his phone. It was from Kirishima.

“What is it?”

_“Asami-sama, the boy, he…um…he escaped…and…”_

Kirishima sounded shaky, which was unheard of. “What do you mean he escaped?”

_“He…took me by surprise and used the opening to leave the premises. He said he was going to buy some clothes and explore Shinjuku…I think it’s best if you come back Asami-sama, I would like to explain this in person.”_

“I'll be there presently.” Asami said and hung up. Shifting his attention back to Takeo, “Akihito escaped from Kirishima.” He said.

“I heard, Kirishima sounded flustered. Looks like Akihito did something” Isamu chucked. “Let’s go see what’s up.”


	21. Twinkle Twinkle Little Twink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable ideas and characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: au, oc, ooc, underage, unedited
> 
> So sorry for not updating, lots of ups and downs are happening right now so haven't had time to update or write :(

**

Chapter 20 Twinkle Twinkle Little Twink

**

“Don’t you have something tighter and sexier? I’m going out tonight.” Akihito complained to the ladies in retail. “These jeans are too baggy; I need something that hugs my ass more. That’s my best asset. And don’t you have shirts that have a lower cut?”

“I’ll look in the back for you sir.” One of the sales ladies said and made her way to the back to do what she said. 

“Awesome” Akihito commented. “Ok, so this scarf goes with this vest?”

“Yes sir, it suits you well, as if it was made for you” one of the other ladies commented with a wide smile gracing her face. 

“All right, I’ll take the scarf and vest. I like these shirts” Akihito said as he threw a few deep V-neck shirts to the workers to hold. “I want that white blazer with the cuffs. Actually, I want that in both black and white. Oh, and this hat!” tossing the last of the items to the ladies, Akihito ran to the accessories. “I need some chains to wear too. I like this rose gold colored one, and this leather one too.”

“You have a very good eye sir. Those would go great with the shirts you’ve picked out” the ladies continued their flattery. 

“Thanks, but I still need shoes.”

“Our footwear selection is over there.” One of the workers pointed out. 

“Sweet” Akihito said before running over to the sneakers, lace-ups, oxfords and wingtips. Ok, I wanna try this in size 7, these ones too. Do you have this in other colors?” 

After about another hour, Akihito finally exited the store with a new look. He had the rest of the clothes sent to his home. He wanted to hit up someone tonight, and cute was the look that’ll seduce any gender. wearing his newsboy cap, and sliding his new aviator sunglasses into place, Akihito fixed his vest and pulled down his V-neck shirt a little lower down. The long burgundy scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. And his pants were perfect, it showed off his long, lean legs and it outlined the curve of his ass which is his number one selling feature. But he needed a haircut. The past few days, Akihito did nothing to take care of his self-image and it bothered him. His hair was messy and has grown a little long; his roots were also beginning to show. Taking out his phone, he looked up the best hair stylist nearby and headed towards it.

~~~~~

Kirishima was bent at a perfect ninety degree angle when Asami and Takeo entered.

“What happened?” Asami asked immediately. His best man seemed to be in denial and it was concerning. 

“Asami-sama, Takeo-sama, I must beg for your forgiveness.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake Kirishima, we forgive you. Just straighten up and tell us what happened.” Isamu interjected with his usual cavalier attitude towards anything. “How did Akihito escape?”

“Sir…Akihito-kun…he kissed me…”

The brows of both men shot into their hairlines at the answer. “Kissed you…?” Isamu repeated.

“Yes sir…I was tutoring him as instructed. He was performing very well. He knew the answers and did each questions with flying colors.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait…” Isamu interrupted. “Akihito knew what?”

“Sir, his academic performance has no flaw. He informed me he needs no tutoring or help with his school work. He and his friends have been doing practice questions together and he’s been getting 90s in them…”

Looking at Kirishima like he’s crazy, “are you sure?” Isamu asked, his tone clearly indicated unimaginable surprise. 

“I checked Akihito’s work just the day before and all his answers were copied word for word from the answer book.” Asami pointed out.

“Yes Asami-sama, you did inform me of that, but these booklets were new, and I kept a keen eye on him today. I watched him scribble down the answers myself.”

Picking up the booklet Akihito wrote in, Asami and Takeo checked over the immaculate hand written answer.

“Sirs, there’s also something else that’s particular. The booklets Akihito-kun did the night before weren’t done by him. This here” Kirishima pointed to the booklet with the superb penmanship, “This handwriting, compared to the scribbles in the previous books, is written by two different hands.”

“Ryuichi, you said Akihito told you he was suffering a migraine ever since he arrived at your place and stayed in bed sleeping it off. So this means these exams here were done by Chibi-chan, not Akihito?”

“So it would seem.” Asami agreed. 

“Er…sirs…?” Kirishima interjected. 

“Yes Kirishima, continue.” Isamu gestured for him to go on.

“Ah yes…I believe Akihito-kun is taking your time and efforts as a joke. I believe it’s all some sort of mischief scam. And when I read his “Dogs in Politics” essay to him, he revealed to me that he is just playing all of us.”

“Why did you read that essay to him?” Isamu asked.

“He claims he has always taken Harashi-san’s tutelage seriously and always completed the homework assigned to him with the upmost dedication. But this essay says different.” Kirishima explained. 

“You said he exposed himself when you read it to him?”

“Yes. He said it was his finest work, then he…attached himself to me and wouldn’t let go. I admit I did lose my temper and called him Takaba Akihito. I understand and will accept any consequence Takeo-sama deems fit.” Kirishima confessed and once again bowed at the waist.

“Oh for god’s sake, forget about that and continue. He latched himself onto you and then what?” 

Isamu’s cavalier attitude towards somethings was truly baffling. “Sir…I’ve committed a grave offense towards yo—“

Massaging his forehead, “if you’re that eager to get punished, I’ll spank you later okay? Now continue” Isamu rushed, annoyed at the secretary’s desperate need for perfection when it came to his work. The deer in headlights look on Kirishima’s face and Isamu’s attitude towards it was truly hilarious, even Asami, who has kept silent all this time, couldn’t help but let put a chuckle. 

Pushing up his glasses and clearing up his throat, Kirishima straightened up. “He was very tolerable when we first got started, but after I confronted him, his character changed all together. He’s speech because more playful and…seductive. He claims he doesn’t care for the Takeo name, and then he…he kissed me.” Taking a deep breath, Kirishima prepared himself. He knew Akihito meant a lot to Takeo, and even his boss took a sexual liking to the boy, and he can understand why. Smooth, white flawless skin, big bright eyes and a spunky attitude were his boss’s weaknesses. “He was very…experienced…”

“Experienced in what…” Isamu asked for clarification.

“In…kissing...” Kirishima answered uncomfortably. 

“How good?” 

“Er…” 

“Answer him Kirishima” Asami finally ordered. 

“B-Better than you…Takeo-sama…”

Both Takeo and Asami’s eyes grew wide with confusion and surprise. 

“’And…sirs, I am deeply ashamed to say that my body responded…”

“Responded…?” Isamu repeated. “Really…well that’s interesting. Ryuichi, you’ve been kissed by Akihito I’m sure. Do the skills described by Kirishima match what you’ve experienced?”

“No, it does not.” Asami replied. “The kid’s attempts were clumsy. Nowhere near experienced.” 

“Wait a second…you’ve only been kissed by the alter, Chibi-chan, so it’s normal for a four year old to be clumsy. He is Akihito right now, but that doesn’t seem right, Akihito isn’t this scandalous and audacious. Is he?” 

“Chibi-chan…sirs…?” Kirishima asked.

“Something happened last night, a four year old Akihito who calls himself Chibi-chan emerged from Akihito.”

“Dissociate Identity disorder sirs?” 

“Most likely.”

“If I may add to that…when Akihito-kun left, I thought about it quite extensively. The Akihito-kun who escaped had a completely different personality compared to Akihito-kun from this morning, who was, if I may, not as wild and improper.” Kirishima explained. “I thought the difference in the handwritings interesting, so I compared the penmanship in the “Dogs in Politics” essay and compared it to the two on the table. It’s different.” 

Stunned, Isamu stretched out his hand. “Let me see the essay.” Kirishima handed his phone with the attachment over and the three men made a comparison. The workbooks written by who they speculate was Chibi-chan, was spacy and large. Very distinctive from the pristine writings from this morning. Comparing it to the third set of writing, it was rushed, and careless. 

Isamu turned to look at Asami. “Another alter?”

~~~~~

Akihito twirled his newly dyed hair around in his fingers; ash blonde. The color really brought out the color in his eyes and he was very satisfied with the job. He expected nothing less from a famous professional stylist to the stars.

Linked arm in arm with another man who looked to be in his early fifties, Akihito happily trotted out of the salon. 

“So Aki-kun, where did you get the money to pay for that new hairdo? Oliver`s is an expansive place. ” the man asked. 

“I have a few bucks in my pocket from previous liaisons” Akihito lied. The one who will be paying for his expenses today would be none other than Isamu. But he knew how to play men, especially wealthy men, men who have power. If they feel their conquest`s previous affiliations could do them better, they would do anything to top it. 

“Oh? And where are they this evening?”

“They left me” Akihito answered, smiling.

Slipping an arm around Akihito, the man tugged Akihito closer. “Well then, they must be fools to leave someone like you, but you seem to be fairing quite well.”

Akihito smirked. “Men have a habit of noticing me.”

Skimming his eyes up and down the delicious young, tight body, the older man swallowed a lump of lust down his throat. “I can see why.”

“So you said you are a politician Eijima-san?” Akihito asked.

“A CEO actually.”

“You married?”

“Yes…”

“Then I take it you must get back to your wife now. It is getting quite late. She must be wondering where you are.” Akihito said, his lips turning into a big fat, fake, pout.  
Seeing the wide eyed saddened look on the boy`s face, Eijima caved. “The night is still young, I`ll tell my wife I`m out having dinner with clients. I would like to take you out tonight.” A smile spread across Akihito`s face and the man felt a pleasant warmth growing throughout his extremities. “I know the perfect place. Club Sion. I`m a VIP member there.”

“What? No, that place is boring. I want to dance and sing and drink.” Akihito whined, pushing his pelvic up against the elderly man`s suit clad leg. Eijima swallowed hard at the sudden intimate contact. “Are you even of legal age?” he asked, trying to distract himself, until they got to a hotel at least. 

Feeling the older man`s chest up and down with his hand, Akihito smiled sweetly. “Almost, just a few years off.…but I would have thought someone as powerful as yourself wouldn’t have to worry about something like that. Don’t you want to have fun with me tonight? I want to have fun with you.” Akihito innocently seduced and again, Eijima swallowed hard. 

“All right, how about Dracaena then? There`s music, dancing and cocktails…”

“Perfect!” Akihito smiled and hugged Eijima`s arm as they strolled towards the man`s parked car. “Are we getting there with your car?” he asked, sounding displeased as he pointing at the white Infinity they were headed towards.

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

“Mmmm” Akihito fussed. “It’s just…I always wanted to arrive at a club in a limo…”

Pulling out his cell phone from his breast pocket, Eijima quickly dialed a number. “Limo it is.”

The man was completely in his thrall.

~~~~~

“That little shit!” Isamu shouted as he scrolled through his bank statements on his smartphone. “How does a fifteen year old brat spend over 600,000 yen in one night!?”

Asami lifted a brow “Are you in some sort of financial trouble?”

“No Ryuichi, I am not” accenting each word he said. “I’m just baffled at how my sweet little Akihito, who never takes any one for granted, can go from that to this little monster right here!” he shouted as he gestured at his phone which housed an alarming amount of expenses at tailors, fashion stores, shoe stores, salons and the list went on. “84,250 yen at the spa! Did he get wrapped in diamond sheets or something?” 

“Calm down” Asami said. Looking at the calm young man, Isamu felt a vein pop in his head. The younger Asami had taken off his tie and suit, unbuttoned his shirt and was lounging around, with a drink in hand and today’s newspaper spread out before him; clearly not giving a care in the world. But the sound of his ringtone quickly diverted his frustration. 

“Oh look, Kujo just sent me a text. Apparently a mountain full of packages just arrived under Akihito’s name, upon further exanimation; it contained nothing but shoes and clothes…” Isamu scoffed as he read the text. 

“Clearly this Akihito has a flare for luxury” Asami commented as he sipped at his whiskey. 

“Shinjuku is your turf. Are you really okay having a little brat running up and down your street, probably vandalizing every back alley?” 

“I told you to calm down. Kirishima have already dispatched my men to look for him.” Asami said. “He’s just a kid looking to have some harmless fun.”

~~~~~

“The beat is on fire tonight!” Akihito screamed as he danced, sandwiched between two men. He had lost his “date” he picked up at the salon, Eijima the moment he entered the club, and now he was doing what he was put on this Earth to do: party.

“Kid, I don’t think you’re really ready for the world of the adults” one of his dance partners shouted, clearly mocking his boyish appearance and assumed inexperience. 

Flashing a challenging look back, Akihito smirked. “Why don’t the two of you try me and see for yourselves!”

The two men exchanged a predatory look, and just to prove his point, Akihito moved in closer and brushed his ass teasingly against the hardened bump in their pants. “Heh, you two clearly want this” Akihito teased as he shook his ass for them. “If you two are gonna tease me, I’m might just have to find someone else to help me warm up the sheets tonight!”

“Can we get arrested for this!?” the blonde man shouted to his friend. They were clearly much older than Akihito, probably in their mid to late twenties, and Akihito is clearly underage and by law, he is not allowed to consent to any sexual activities. The two men wanted to taste the boy in a steamy threesome, but the thought of having statutory rape or sexual assault added to their names was frightening. 

Rolling his eyes, Akihito stopped dancing and squeezed out from between the two men. “You know what, forget it, you two are no fun.” 

“Hey hey hey, wait up there” the blonde man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back between them. “Don’t be hasty now, we can show you a good time. I promise” he cooed as he brushed his thumb across Akihito’s heated cheeks, feeling his soft, unblemished skin. 

Looking mildly annoyed at the two men, Akihito gave in. “You two aren’t gonna chicken out and bail on me in the middle right? Cause that would be just pathetic.” 

The blonde man smirked lustfully. “I could say the same to you kid.”

Akihito flashed them a challenging glare. “Ok fine. You guys better not get scared later. I know some pretty daring stuff.”

“All right. Let’s go. My father owns a hotel not far from here. We can take the penthouse suit.” The other man suggested.

“Ok but I want to have a few more drinks!” Akihito said as he made for the bar with the other two following behind tightly.

This was his fourth drink of the night and he was feeling light headed and spectacular. The two guys, wealthy as shit and hot as fuck, paid for his drink and waited impatiently for him to finish so they could head to the hotel. It’s been so long since he actually had sex and he was all too eager. He just hoped neither one of them bottoms.

“Hey come on kid, hurry and finish it already. We can get more drinks at the hotel.”

Downing the last drink, Akihito slammed the drink down on the bar and looked annoyingly over at the two men. “It’s not “kid,” It’s “Aki” and what’s the rush? We have all night!! I wanna dance a little more!” Akihito said as he ran towards the dance floor again, only to be yanked none too gently back. 

“You’ve danced enough” the blonde man growled. “Now come on, let’s go. If you stay here any longer, security is going to come and you’ll be spending the rest of the night in the cells.” 

Akihito brushed him off. “No one’s gonna come.” He said, trying to head for the dance floor, but was pulled back into place. The arm gripping his arm became violent and Akihito cried out at the pain it was causing him “ow! You’re hurting me!” 

“Listen kid, I bought you drinks all night…” 

“So…? That was your choice. You have money right? What are a few drinks to you?” Akihito argued

“We’re going. Now.” The blonde man threatened and proceeded to drag him out of the club, with the other man following behind them closely to make sure Akihito doesn’t run off. 

“Ow! That hurts!” Akihito cried out as he scratched at the hand encircling his arm in a crushing grip. “Let me go! I don’t like this anymore!” 

His cries fell on deaf ears as he was dragged into the chilling air outside. The blonde man unlocked his car with his key fob. “Get in the car” he bit out but screamed suddenly when a hand fisted the collar of his shirt and yanked him backwards, right onto the cold sidewalk.

“What the fuck!” he shouted, but his anger dried up on his tongue when he looked up and saw the mountain of a man that sent him flying to his ass. 

“Beat it” Suoh threatened. “Both of you, and leave the kid.”

“Hey!” the second of the two men chimed in. “The kid invited us and we already paid for him!” 

“Well I changed my mind! And you did not pay for me; those drinks were your choice!” Akihito argued. 

“Get lost.” Suoh repeated, and a few more men in suits stepped up towards them, emanating threat. 

Realizing they were outnumbered and out matched, the two men got into the car, “Fuck this…let’s get outta this dump” and drove off. 

“Akihito-kun” Suoh turned to Akihito. “I have orders to bring you back to Asami-sama. Please get in the car.”

“I’m not getting in there!” Akihito fussed. “I want to get laid tonight and you totally just blew my tricks away.” 

Suoh lifted a questionable brow at the vulgarity in the teen’s language. He didn’t remember Akihito to be so…easy. “Akihito-kun, I have orders to use force if need be.” 

Akihito scoffed and challenged Suoh. “You wouldn’t dare.” Eyeing the large body guard up and down, Akihito smirked and a small tongue darted out to lick his dried lips. “You know, you’re pretty hot now that I look at you. How about you take their place and I’ll overlook what you did.” Akihito yelped when he found himself picked up and slung over broad, hard shoulders. “Hey! Put me down!” he shouted but it seemed like everyone was ignoring him tonight. He found himself gently shoved into the back seats of the black BMW, with Suoh’s large hand pressing him still while the large man prepared the ropes to bind his wrists and ankles. 

“Oh I see, you’re into bondage?” Akihito teasingly mocked which earned him a forceful tightening of the ropes around his wrists. “Ow!” he cried out. “I’m gonna tell and you are going to get into so much trouble!” 

“Your threats carry no weight Akihito-kun. Asami-sama warned me of your multiple personalities and Kirishima informed me of your…special characteristics.” Suoh smirked at the boy's attempts at blackmail as he finished the last of the knots, securing the problematic boy firmly in place. “I don’t want to have to use the duct tape too, so I would be grateful if you could keep quiet during the ride back.” Akihito shot him a death glare, which didn’t even faze the large man. 

“We’re leaving” Suoh ordered the rest of the men. “Report to Asami-sama that we’ve found the boy and I’m heading back now.”

“Fuck…” Akihito muttered as the car sped away.


	22. Hearsay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: recognizable ideas and characters belong to yamane ayano
> 
> Warnings: au, oc, ooc, underage, unedited

**

Chapter 21 Hearsay 

**

“We found him coming out of Dracaena with two men. From what I’ve gathered from their exchange, they were heading to a hotel.” Suoh reported standing at the doorway of Asami’s living room to prevent the wild teen from making a break for it.

“A hotel” Isamu repeated; his hands at his waist as he stared down at the boy rolling his eyes at him. “A hotel!? What were you going to do at a hotel with two men?”

Looking positively annoyed, Akihito crossed his arms and looked up at the elder man in scorn. “What people usually do in hotels; Bang.” He responded simply, much to everyone’s surprise in the room. 

“Bang? Bang!?” Isamu shouted, his voice getting louder and louder as he became more baffled at the little devil snarling at him.

“It means to fuck old man.”

Isamu’s tolerance threshold was pretty much audible when it was broken through by Akihito’s cavalier and distasteful attitude. Placing a hand on the fuming man’s shoulder, Asami nudged Isamu back to prevent any further explosions from happening in his home. “Takeo, take a step back” he instructed. “You are clearly not Akihito, or the four-year-old child I spoke to yesterday.”

Akihito rolled his eyes, again. “Duh, am I carrying a camera and looking boring right now? Am I whining for “mama” or “Ryuu-nii” right now?” Akihito replied with condescension, speaking to Asami as if the man was an unevolved chimp. 

“I see” Asami replied, completely unaffected by the insulting tone in the boy’s speech. “Then who are you?” 

A sly, devilish smirk crossed Akihito’s face then. “The name’s Aki. How did you like the blowjob I gave ya the other night?” he teased. “I would have done a better job, but Chibi-chibi kept getting in my way.”

“B-Blowjob!!!” Isamu blurted out, completely befuddled but Asami just ignored him.

“That was you?” Asami asked, and to his surprise and Akihito nodded as he coated his finger with saliva in an attempt to seduce and taunt the man. “I’m confused. You and the other personality can both come out and occupy Akihito’s body at the same time?”

The alter, Aki, shrugged. “I suppose. It wasn’t like this before.” 

“Before?” Asami lifted a brow in mild surprise at the revelation but still kept his calm demeanor. “How long have you and the little one been around?”

Aki wasn’t stupid like Akihito and Chibi-chan, at least that’s what he liked to think. He’s been working the business in the real world longer than any of those two and he likes to think himself of superior mind, in other words, he doesn’t release his secrets that easily. Or so he likes to think. “I’ll tell you” he replied with subtle mischief in his tone. “Only if you give me what I want.”

“Oh?” Asami smirked. The brat was going to negotiate business with him. “And what do you want?”

Aki looked over at Suoh, who has been standing silently and confusingly by the doorway the whole time, and skipped happily over to the large man. “I’ve grown quite a liking to Suoh here; I want you to give him to me for the night."

Speechless, Suoh looked an absolute fright. “S…Sirs…I swear, I…I don’t know…” he stuttered. 

“No” came the immediate response from Asami.

Angry, Aki stomped back and stood in front of Asami. “Look, buddy, it’s been forever since I’ve had a good screw. If it weren’t for you guys, I would be getting it right now so you owe me.” 

“Akihito!” Isamu scolded but he was rudely interrupted before he could continue.

“It’s Aki, god fuckin’ dammit!” 

“Or there’s a simpler solution.” Asami interjected.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“Take away your freedom and lock you up.”

Akihito stared at Asami with a gapped mouth, and then he scoffed and burst into a series of laughter. “Lock me away? You’ll lock me away. I’d like to see you do that!” he challenged as he choked from laughter.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Asami asked.

“If you lock me away, you’ll be locking Akihito away too. And I know how precious he is to all of you.”

“And?”

“Ah…” Aki started but was caught off guard by the response. “What do you mean “and?” If you lock me away, Akihito will be locked away too.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“Hah…is this guy serious Isamu?” Aki turned to his unpleased guardian and asked.

“At this point, I’m also considering it. Now you can either answer our questions or we will keep you under lock and key for the rest of _your_ life. You will never be able to go outside and do the things you enjoy” Isamu threatened. 

“Pfft, you wouldn’t do that to Akihito!” Aki responded, still unconvinced. 

“Why don’t you try us” Isamu challenged the rebellious teen. Completely shocked and perplexed by the two men’s seriousness, Aki found himself unable to utter a single word in defense. “You’re both crazy!” he finally blurted. 

“Perhaps. Now you can sit down and have a proper conversation with us, or we will carry out our promise” Isamu commanded. “Your choice.”

Giving in, Aki walked over to the couch adjacent to the two men and plopped down angrily. “What do you want…” he mumbled, his arms folded across his chest as he glared on.  
Seeing the conversation can proceed to be a productive one, Asami repeated his question. “How long have you been with Akihito.”

“I don’t know…” Aki grumbled. “I can’t remember.”

“All right then. Is Akihito aware of you?”

Smirking, Aki replied. “You think he would be, after all the situations I’ve left him in.”

“Is the other personality, Chibi-chan, aware of you?” Isamu asked and Aki nodded. “And what can you tell us about the little one?” 

“Not much, he whines a lot, always looking for attention, egocentric, annoying…like any kid that age really…Can’t really have a decent conversation with him…”

“I see.”

“He’s pretty devious for a four-year-old sometimes, but I guess that’s expected since he’s older than all of us” Akihito mentioned.

“Older? How do you mean?” Isamu asked. 

“He’s been with Akihito long before any one of us.”

“Really?” Isamu said, looking surprised. “All right and how long have you been around?”

Aki shrugged.

“Okay, do you know Nakada?” The man who bought Akihito…and, well…you…”

“Yeah I know him. He was such a horny bastard.” Aki replied sourly. 

“Tell me, Akihito was raised in a whore house and he was sold to Nakada, but he has no recollection of every servicing anyone during this time period of his life. Is that because of you?”

Laughing, Aki slumped down onto the couch and swung his legs over the armrest. “You could say that…” he giggled. “That I’m his “prostitute” side. I’ve always loved sex, and people drooling at me as I got naked for them. And it is true that I often come out when Akihito’s body is requested.”

“So you protect Akihito from the ravages of lust” Isamu summarized, but Aki just laughed at him. 

Leaning back into his seat, Isamu turned to face Asami who had been silently observing the boy this whole time. “From what this boy is telling us, it seems Chibi-chan was born after Yayoi was taken, and this one was created when Akihito entered an age where his services could be used.”

“Mm” Asami curtly agreed with a nod. “Before, you said “us””

Kicking his legs in the air, Aki ran his hands through his locks and sighed. He was getting rather tired of all this. “What are you talking about…”

“You said “he’s been with Akihito long before any one of us.” Who is “us”” Asami repeated his question with more contexts.

“Ohh” Akihito responded, bored. “Me and Takaba…”

“Takaba? You mean Akihito?” Asami asked.

“Nooo, I mean Takaba. You know Takaba, didn’t you guys meet?”

Isamu narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “No, no we did not…Are you telling us there’s…..another one?” 

That took Aki a little by surprise. “Really? I thought you guys have met already. He’s the really mean one.”

Isamu shook his head and Asami’s silence spoke for his answer. “Why do you think we would have met?”

“You’ve been formally introduced to Chibi-chibi, so I thought you would have met him. Those two are always sticking to each other like glue…he’s always protecting the little brat. It’s _sooo_ annoying.” 

“And what role does this “Takaba” play?” Isamu asked, but Aki just shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what he does. All I know is that he’s really mean and cold. I hate him.”

“Oh? Why do you hate him?”

“He’s the only one who knows what everybody is up to, but I never know what he’s up to. He never tells me anything, he’s always glaring at me, and he hates me for no reasons at all. So I hate him.” Aki ranted.

“Ohh, I can phantom a few reasons” Isamu mumbled to himself. 

“But you know about Akihito and the small one?” Asami pointed out.

“Yeah but Chibi-chibi is a stupid four-year-old and Akihito doesn’t do anything worth gossiping about…I just don’t like living with someone who watches everything that _I_ do…” Aki complained which made Asami chuckle. 

“Aki” Isamu interjected. “How do we meet “Takaba”?”

“Hell if I know. I told you I don’t know what he does. Chibi-chibi might.” Aki replied unhappily. “I’m getting tired…are we done?”

“Almost. Just one more question.” Isamu said. “Clearly, from what you’ve told us, you and Chibi-chan has long been in existence before my arrival, but you all are just awakening now.”

Aki nodded in agreement, twirling his hair in his fingers. 

“You weren’t present when I found Akihito and took him in?” Isamu asked to clarify and Aki agreed. 

“Okay, so why did you all suddenly disappear and are re-appearing now?”

“I don’t know” Akihito replied as he lay unsettlingly on the couch. “Chibi-chibi was here before any of us. I came later, and Takaba appeared during the time we spent in Nakaba’s company. Soon after Akihito finally gathered the strength to escape, we started to get shut in.”

“What do you mean shut in?”

“We couldn’t come out no matter how hard we tried. It was like we were trapped in a jail cell or a maze with no exit.” Aki explained. “It’s like, Akihito’s mind was all jumbled up and we couldn’t find the way out again.”

“Akihito’s tests showed that he was mostly injected with depressants and hallucinogens” Isamu recalled. “Those would certainly scramble the mind.” 

“I suppose” Aki shrugged. “But like I said, we couldn’t get out. The three of us were trapped together. I was moody all the time, Chibi-chibi wouldn’t stop crying, and Takaba looked absolutely murderous. We thought we were all gonna disappear.” Aki whispered as he curled his knee up. “But then about half a year back, we weren’t trapped anymore. It’s like when you’re locked up, you always wanna try the door hoping the jailer forgot to lock it, and then one day, that hope comes true. Chibi-chibi was the first one to notice the change and he ran ahead of us, Takaba ran after him and I followed. I was so relieved. I was being to think we weren’t needed anymore so we were going to disappear.” 

Seeing the saddened and frightened boy curled up into a ball, the men around the room couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sympathy. The boy’s earlier indecent speech and attitude were completely forgotten and forgiven. 

“You are obviously a very spirited boy Aki-kun” Isamu said. “I don’t see you disappearing anytime soon. And clearly, Akihito still needs you. And I am glad you were there to help him during those times....and even now.”

Looking up at the man who saved them all, Aki smiled. “Thank you.” He said softly before closing his eyes and falling asleep.


End file.
